Meat-analog made from Javanese Grasshopper, kidney beans, and elephant foot yam as a high-protein and low-cholesterol product

Abstract

The population in Indonesia is currently around 270.2 million people and is expected to increase to 318.9 million people by 2045. This led to a significant increase in the demand for food, especially protein. Approximately 53.4% of the Indonesian population consumes protein below recommendation. This is caused by the gap in demand and availability of animal-based protein, which only enables it to meet 60% of needs. However, Indonesia actually has great potential to utilize edible insects as a sustainable- and halal-protein alternative, such as Javanese Grasshopper (Valanga nigricornis). This research aimed to develop an insect-based meat-analog product using Javanese Grasshopper, kidney beans (complete the amino acid score), and elephant foot yam (build the texture) as ingredients to create a high-protein, low-cholesterol alternative product. This research involved product development, followed by physical-, chemical-, sensory-, and microbiological-testing. The optimal formulation, integrating a 30% replacement of grasshopper and 5% kidney beans, yielded a meat analog patty with a high protein content (27.86 g/100 g, >30% of Daily value), and a low cholesterol content (0.018 g/100 g, <0.02 g/100 g). The development is expected to be a part of alternative disturbed strategy in covering the protein gap in Indonesia.

Keywords

• Edible insects
• Cholesterol
• Grasshopper
• Meat-analog
• Protein alternative