- European scientists explore using insects to sustain astronauts on long missions
- ESA collaborates with experts to study insects as a nutritious space food source
- Crickets and mealworms offer high protein, healthy fats, and essential minerals
European scientists are exploring an unconventional yet promising solution to sustain astronauts on long-duration space missions: insects. The European Space Agency (ESA) has teamed up with food, biology and space experts from across the continent to study whether insects could become part of an astronaut's menu, given their high nutritional value.
Eating insects might sound bizarre, but ESA noted that it is not unusual, as billions of people do it every day. Humans consume over 2000 species of insects around the planet, as per the UN's Food and Agriculture Organization.
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Crickets and mealworms are packed with protein, healthy fats, and essential minerals like iron and zinc. In fact, crickets are a complete protein source, containing all nine essential amino acids. Mealworms, on the other hand, contain a good amount of protein and healthy fats.
"Insects seem to cope quite well in space environments. They have a good ability to withstand physical stresses," Asa Berggren, Professor at the Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences and lead author of a study published in the journal Frontiers in Physiology, said in the statement.
"These small animals are also very good at converting materials that we humans cannot eat into their own growth and provide us with nutritious food."
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Insects can be a safe option for space travel as they require less land, water and feed than traditional livestock. They also align with the ESA's goal of reducing the environmental footprint of space exploration because they produce fewer greenhouse gas emissions.
The ESA has already approved house crickets and yellow mealworms for human consumption, and researchers are working on optimising their growth in microgravity environments. Fruit flies, the first animals to survive space travel, have completed their entire life cycle in space. It shows they can adapt in space.
