Two new edible insect species from Ghana and their chemical content evaluation

The present study was aimed to determine the concentration of elements in two edible insect species Microcerotermes parvulus (Sjostedt, 1911) and Pheidole megacephala (Fabricius 1793) from Ghana. Elements (Mn, Fe, Cu, Zn, Se, Br, Sr, Zr, Nb, Mo, Sn, Sb, I, Ba, La, Ce, Pb) were analyzed by using Energy Dispersive X-ray Fluorescence (EDXRF). Differences in the element accumulation were observed between the two insects. More specifically, 16 elements (Mn, Fe, Cu, Zn, Se, Br, Sr, Zr, Nb, Sn, Sb, I, Ba, La, Ce, Pb) were determined in M. parvulus and 14 elements (Mn, Fe, Cu, Zn, Se, Sr, Zr, Nb, Mo, Sn, Sb, I, La, Pb) in P. megacephala. With this study, these insects were recorded for the first time for the world edible insect literature. In addition, based on the peer-reviewed published literature, the world map of the entomophagous countries was revised.