White-spotted flower chafer beetles top list of popular insect species in S. Korea

By Lim Chang-won Posted : May 27, 2020, 13:18 Updated : May 27, 2020, 13:18

A file picture shows an insect farm operator. [Courtesy of North Gyeongsang Province]


SEOUL -- White-spotted flower chafer beetles topped the list of popular insect species in South Korea, followed by ptecticus tenebrifer (Walker) and meal beetle. The market for edible insects has seen a steady increase thanks to a government drive to promote insect farming.

Total insect sales rose 8.1 percent from a year ago to 40.5 billion won ($32.9 million) in 2019 thanks to growing demands for human and animal consumption, according to the Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs, which has extended financial and other support to activate research and establish a distribution network and a production base for edible insects.

The sales amount was 18.9 billion won for white-spotted flower chaffer beetle, six billion won for ptecticus tenebrifer, 4.3 billion won for crickets, 2.8 billion won for meal beetle, 2.6 billion won for rhinoceros beetle and 1.3 billion won for stag beetle. Sales of ptecticus tenebrifer used mainly for food and feed increased by 173.1 percent in 2019.

In 2019, the number of insect producers and distributors was up 9.4 percent on-year to 2,535. South Korean government officials believe edible insects would become a promising future industry because they are rich in protein and minerals and contain a high amount of unsaturated fatty acid.

A report from the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) showed that insects could be used in the global fight against hunger and to increase food security. On average, insects use just two kilograms of feed to produce one kilogram of meat, compared to cattle which require eight kilograms of feed to produce the same amount.

Edible insect species consumed globally include butterflies and moths, beetles, ants, bees and wasps, grasshoppers and crickets. They are raised as livestock in specialized insect farms from eggs to larvae status or to their mature form before being freeze-dried and packed whole, or pulverized to insect powder, to be processed in other food products such as bakery products, or snacks.

In Western markets, insect food producers focus on four species suitable for human consumption as well as industrialized mass production, including house cricket, European migratory locust, mealworms and Lesser mealworms.


 
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