Zinc absorption from maize-based meals enriched with edible house crickets: a randomized crossover stable-isotope study in Kenyan pre-school children
Abstract Edible insects have been proposed as a novel and sustainable source of protein and other essential nutrients for human consumption but nutrient absorption efficiency is still uncertain. We investigated zinc absorption from house crickets (Acheta domesticus) in a single-center and single-bli...
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Nature Portfolio
2025-01-01
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| Series: | Nature Communications |
| Online Access: | https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-025-56259-1 |
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| author | Nikolin Hilaj Tele Boit Pauline Andang’o Christophe Zeder Martin N. Mwangi Marijke Hummel Ornella Necochea Velazco Joop J. A. van Loon Marcel Dicke Michael B. Zimmermann Alida Melse-Boonstra |
| author_facet | Nikolin Hilaj Tele Boit Pauline Andang’o Christophe Zeder Martin N. Mwangi Marijke Hummel Ornella Necochea Velazco Joop J. A. van Loon Marcel Dicke Michael B. Zimmermann Alida Melse-Boonstra |
| author_sort | Nikolin Hilaj |
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| description | Abstract Edible insects have been proposed as a novel and sustainable source of protein and other essential nutrients for human consumption but nutrient absorption efficiency is still uncertain. We investigated zinc absorption from house crickets (Acheta domesticus) in a single-center and single-blinded cross-over study with children aged 24–36 months old in Kenya from September-November 2021. For this, children were randomized to consume two different experimental meals labeled with stable isotopes of zinc (Zn) at two different days, separated by a wash-out period of one month. Primary endpoints were the differences in amount of absorbed zinc (AZ) from maize-based meals enriched with intrinsically 67Zn-labeled house crickets (2.61 mg Zn, n = 28) in comparison with meals enriched with 68Zn (low-enriched: 0.90 mg Zn, n = 29); high-enriched: 3.24 mg Zn, n = 28) or with intrinsically 67Zn-labeled low-chitin cricket flour (2.51 mg Zn, n = 25), whereas the secondary endpoints were the differences in fractional zinc absorption. We found that AZ from meals with whole crickets (geometric mean: 0.36 mg; 95%CI: 0.30, 0.43) was 2.6 times higher than from low-enriched maize meals (0.14 mg; 0.11, 0.16; P < 0.001), while it was not different from low-chitin cricket flour meals. Absorbed zinc from both cricket meals was higher than that from high-enriched meals. No severe adverse side events were reported. We conclude that edible house crickets are a good source of well-absorbable zinc, and their increased consumption could contribute to the alleviation of zinc deficiency. This trial was registered at the Pan African Clinical Trials Registry as PACTR202104533831364. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-243458b11de1449bb78c9c8744ac96cf |
| institution | Kabale University |
| issn | 2041-1723 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2025-01-01 |
| publisher | Nature Portfolio |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Nature Communications |
| spelling | doaj-art-243458b11de1449bb78c9c8744ac96cf2025-01-26T12:41:09ZengNature PortfolioNature Communications2041-17232025-01-0116111210.1038/s41467-025-56259-1Zinc absorption from maize-based meals enriched with edible house crickets: a randomized crossover stable-isotope study in Kenyan pre-school childrenNikolin Hilaj0Tele Boit1Pauline Andang’o2Christophe Zeder3Martin N. Mwangi4Marijke Hummel5Ornella Necochea Velazco6Joop J. A. van Loon7Marcel Dicke8Michael B. Zimmermann9Alida Melse-Boonstra10Human Nutrition Laboratory, Institute of Food, Nutrition and HealthDivision of Human Nutrition and Health, Wageningen University & ResearchDepartment of Public Health, Maseno UniversityHuman Nutrition Laboratory, Institute of Food, Nutrition and HealthDivision of Human Nutrition and Health, Wageningen University & ResearchDivision of Human Nutrition and Health, Wageningen University & ResearchFood Quality and Design Group, Wageningen University & ResearchLaboratory of Entomology, Wageningen University & ResearchLaboratory of Entomology, Wageningen University & ResearchHuman Nutrition Laboratory, Institute of Food, Nutrition and HealthDivision of Human Nutrition and Health, Wageningen University & ResearchAbstract Edible insects have been proposed as a novel and sustainable source of protein and other essential nutrients for human consumption but nutrient absorption efficiency is still uncertain. We investigated zinc absorption from house crickets (Acheta domesticus) in a single-center and single-blinded cross-over study with children aged 24–36 months old in Kenya from September-November 2021. For this, children were randomized to consume two different experimental meals labeled with stable isotopes of zinc (Zn) at two different days, separated by a wash-out period of one month. Primary endpoints were the differences in amount of absorbed zinc (AZ) from maize-based meals enriched with intrinsically 67Zn-labeled house crickets (2.61 mg Zn, n = 28) in comparison with meals enriched with 68Zn (low-enriched: 0.90 mg Zn, n = 29); high-enriched: 3.24 mg Zn, n = 28) or with intrinsically 67Zn-labeled low-chitin cricket flour (2.51 mg Zn, n = 25), whereas the secondary endpoints were the differences in fractional zinc absorption. We found that AZ from meals with whole crickets (geometric mean: 0.36 mg; 95%CI: 0.30, 0.43) was 2.6 times higher than from low-enriched maize meals (0.14 mg; 0.11, 0.16; P < 0.001), while it was not different from low-chitin cricket flour meals. Absorbed zinc from both cricket meals was higher than that from high-enriched meals. No severe adverse side events were reported. We conclude that edible house crickets are a good source of well-absorbable zinc, and their increased consumption could contribute to the alleviation of zinc deficiency. This trial was registered at the Pan African Clinical Trials Registry as PACTR202104533831364.https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-025-56259-1 |
| spellingShingle | Nikolin Hilaj Tele Boit Pauline Andang’o Christophe Zeder Martin N. Mwangi Marijke Hummel Ornella Necochea Velazco Joop J. A. van Loon Marcel Dicke Michael B. Zimmermann Alida Melse-Boonstra Zinc absorption from maize-based meals enriched with edible house crickets: a randomized crossover stable-isotope study in Kenyan pre-school children Nature Communications |
| title | Zinc absorption from maize-based meals enriched with edible house crickets: a randomized crossover stable-isotope study in Kenyan pre-school children |
| title_full | Zinc absorption from maize-based meals enriched with edible house crickets: a randomized crossover stable-isotope study in Kenyan pre-school children |
| title_fullStr | Zinc absorption from maize-based meals enriched with edible house crickets: a randomized crossover stable-isotope study in Kenyan pre-school children |
| title_full_unstemmed | Zinc absorption from maize-based meals enriched with edible house crickets: a randomized crossover stable-isotope study in Kenyan pre-school children |
| title_short | Zinc absorption from maize-based meals enriched with edible house crickets: a randomized crossover stable-isotope study in Kenyan pre-school children |
| title_sort | zinc absorption from maize based meals enriched with edible house crickets a randomized crossover stable isotope study in kenyan pre school children |
| url | https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-025-56259-1 |
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