Study explores benefits of eating ants

By Isobel Williams via SWNS

Eating ants is nutritious, delicious, and environmentally friendly, claim scientists.

New research suggests that edible insects, such as ants, are delicious alternatives to animal proteins which produce much fewer greenhouse gases.

Eating insects is common in some parts of the world, and some species are even considered delicacies.

The researchers from San Diego State University set out to understand the different flavor profiles of these critters in their study, which will be presented at the American Chemical Society 2024 Spring meeting.

The team focused on the odor profiles of four species: the chicatana ant, common black ant, spiny ant and weaver ant. These four ants were all seen to have drastically different tastes and smells.

The scientists found that common black ants have an acidic and vinegary smell, primarily because of their high content of formic acid, which is a compound the ants secrete from venom glands.

Unlike common black ants, the chicatana ants tested did not contain formic acid, and their predominant smell was nutty, woody and fatty.

Weaver ants were characterized as having a nutty, sweet and caramel-like aroma, but the researchers also detected hay and urine-like off-flavors.

The team then analyzed the composition of ants at various developmental stages, comparing adult spiny ants to the same species in the pupa stage.

Like common black ants, the adult spiny ants contained formic acid, but the pupa did not contain formic acid, because venom glands grow as they mature.

Next, the researchers hope to further investigate the flavor profiles of more ant species and developmental stages like ant eggs, which are considered a delicacy in some countries.

They also plan to investigate the flavor profiles of male ants, as they only analyzed the queens in this study.

Associate Professor Changqi Liu said: “I'm interested in ants because I once led a summer field study in Oaxaca, Mexico.

"You can easily find different edible insects in the market there, just like other food ingredients.

“They can have very diverse and interesting flavor profiles. And that really increases the culinary possibilities of using these insects to create delicious food.

“If there are desirable flavors, scientists can investigate ways to promote their formation, and if there are undesirable flavors, they can find ways to eliminate or mask these odors.

“I don't want people to feel that they are making a sacrifice by eating these insects.

"I want to show that they can actually taste very good while being nutritious and good for the environment.”

The research team warns that those with allergies should be cautious when trying edible insects, as they contain a muscle protein commonly responsible for crustacean and shellfish allergies.