Scientists bake cake using insect ‘butter’ and folks can’t tell the difference

Sustainability is here, it's time to start eating bugs

A team of researchers in Belgium have discovered that fat from black fly larvae actually makes a pretty good substitute for butter.

To test this out, they put together three identical versions of cakes, cookies and waffles. In one case, the snacks had been made with regular butter, in the other with 25% larvae fat and, finally, with 50/50 butter and insect fat.

In a blind taste test, a group of 344 tasters didn’t really mind the switch.

‘The cake with a quarter of insect fat passed the test: the taste panel did not notice that insect fat was used,’ the researchers from Ghent University said in a statement.

‘In the case of waffles, they did not even notice the presence of insect fat when half of the butter had been replaced. Also, the texture and color were hardly affected as compared with butter.’

Why would anyone want to use insect fat to cook up a delicious cake or waffle for Mother’s Day, Valentine’s, a birthday or wedding? Well, there are a few reasons.

‘The ecological footprint of an insect is much smaller compared to animal-based food sources’ said researcher Daylan Tzompa-Sosa from Ghent University.

‘Besides, we can grow insects in large quantities in Europe, which also reduces the footprint of transport. After all, palm fat is often imported from outside of Europe.’

So, that’s a big plus in the sustainability column. But – believe it or not – it’s actually healthier too.

‘Insect fat is a different type of fat than butter’ Tzompa-Sosa added.

‘Insect fat contains lauric acid, which provides positive nutritional attributes since it is more digestible than butter. Moreover, lauric acid has an antibacterial, antimicrobial and antimycotic effect. This means that it is able, for example, to eliminate harmless various viruses, bacteria or even fungi in the body, allowing it to have a positive effect on health.’

The Belgian scientists had their research checked over and published in the journal Food Quality and Preference. The good news is that you don’t need to wait for Tesco and Sainsbury’s to get around to reading the research and stocking up – because insect-laden food is already here.

A bakery has become the first in the UK to launch insect bread, made with hundreds of crickets that have been ground into flour. The batch of limited-edition Crunchy Cricket Loaves has been whipped up in The Exploratory – Roberts’ concept kitchen.

The bread is made using cricket flour, which is supplied by Eat Grub – the UK’s leading insect food brand – and sourced from the world’s only farm with Grade A BRC food safety certification.

Each loaf contains around 336 crickets, which are dried, ground, mixed with wheat flour and grains and then baked to become a tremendously tasty loaf with a crunchy finish. Roberts’ Crunchy Cricket Loaf contains more protein than standard bread and is also a more sustainable source of it. So not only will your sandwiches be better for you, but better for the planet as well.

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