Abstract:
BACKGROUND . Insects form an established part of the diet in many parts of the world
and insect food products are emerging into the European and North American
marketplaces. Consumer confidence in product is key in developing this market, and
accurate labelling of content identity is an important component of this. We used DNA
barcoding to assess the accuracy of insect food products sold in the UK.
METHODS . We purchased insects sold for human consumption from online retailers in
the UK and compared the identity of the material ascertained from DNA barcoding to
that stated on the product packaging. To this end, the COI sequence of mitochondrial
DNA was amplified and sequenced, and compared the sequences produced to reference
sequences in NCBI and the Barcode of Life Data System (BOLD).
RESULTS . The barcode identity of all insects that were farmed was consistent with the
packaging label. In contrast, disparity between barcode identity and package contents
was revealed in two cases of foraged material (mopane worm and winged termites).
One case of very broad family-level description was also highlighted, where material
described as grasshopper was identified as Locusta migratoria from DNA barcode.
CONCLUSION . Overall these data indicate the need to establish tight protocols to validate
product identity in this developing market. Maintaining biosafety and consumer
confidence rely on accurate and consistent product labelling that provides a clear chain
of information from producer to consumer.
