Nutritional Enhancement of Sprouted Cereal Flours with Macrotermes subhyalinus and Cirina butyrospermi: A Strategy for Combating Malnutrition

Malnutrition, a significant global health concern, necessitates innovative solutions to enhance food nutritional profiles sustainably. This study focused on augmenting the nutrient content of traditional cereal flours, specifically corn (Ma) and millet (Mi), by incorporating edible insects, Macrotermes subhyalinus (MS) and Cirina butyrospermi (CB) known for their high protein, vitamin and mineral levels. The research aimed to create fortified flour formulations by adding these insects at various proportions (20%, 22.5% and 25%), thus addressing nutritional deficiencies common in staple diets. The study employed a comprehensive methodological approach incorporating biochemical analyses to measure protein, lipid content, pH and vitamin C levels in 16 distinct flour blends. These measures provided a basis for evaluating the nutritional enhancement achieved through insect incorporation. Additionally, nutrient density calculations and statistical analyses including analysis of variance (ANOVA) and post-hoc tests were conducted to assess the overall nutritional value and identify significant differences among formulations. Results demonstrated a marked improvement in the nutritional quality of cereal flours with insect addition. Formulations MiMS25 (75% Millet + 25% MS) and MiCB25 (75% Millet + 25% CB) exhibited the highest mineral content, with ash values of 3.69 ± 1.00% and 2.60 ± 0.28%, respectively. Protein levels were significantly increased in MaCB22.5 (77.5% Corn + 22.5% CB) and MiCB25 showing concentrations of 18.78 ± 0.20% and 18.66 ± 0.10%. Furthermore, the inclusion of MS notably enhanced lipid content, particularly in MiMS25 which displayed an energy value of 451.19 kcal. Among the tested blends, MaCB22.5 was identified as the most nutritionally promising with a nutrient density score of 0.255 indicating a balanced and improved nutritional profile. This study underscores the potential of integrating edible insects into cereal flours as a sustainable strategy to combat malnutrition. It highlights the need for further research into optimizing these formulations for consumer acceptance, taste, and shelf-life aiming to incorporate them into mainstream diets to achieve global nutritional well-being.