Abstract:
During the last ten years, the worldwide interest in using insects as food and feed has
surged. Edible insects fall within the category of novel foods, i.e., the category of food not consumed
in significant amounts in the European Union before 15 May 1997 (the date of entry into force of
Regulation (EC) No. 258/1997, later repealed by Regulation (EU) No. 2283/2015). One of the most
promising insect species to be raised for food is the house cricket (Acheta domesticus). In this study,
the rearing of a stock of house crickets was studied over a period of four months. The microbiological
quality of the farm was studied using swabs on the surface of the rearing boxes to analyze the
trend over time of different populations of microorganisms (total aerobic mesophilic microbiota,
Lactobacillus spp., enterococci, Staphylococcus spp., Enterobacteriaceae, total coliforms, Pseudomonas
spp. and molds). The presence of four antimicrobial resistance genes (aph, blaZ, sul1, and tetM) was
investigated by polymerase chain reaction. A production scheme was also developed in order to
obtain a cricket-based flour, which was analyzed for its microbiological and chemical-centesimal
profile. The results obtained in this study demonstrate that the contamination increases with time
and that a proper management of the farming system for insects is of the utmost importance, as it is
for conventional farm animals such as ungulates, poultry, and rabbits. The old-fashioned adage “all
full, all empty” for the farming system summarizes the need for proper cleaning and disinfection of
the structures at the end of each production cycle.
