Effect of Packaging Material, Storage Temperature and Duration on the Quality of Semi-Processed Adult House Cricket Meal

Edible insects are widely consumed in different parts of the world and can serve as an alternative nutritional source to conventional foods. Nonetheless, little attention has been given to their quality and shelf life in different packages when exposed to different storage environments. In this study, the effect of storage temperature, duration and type of packaging on the storage stability of the adult house cricket meal was examined. The samples were boiled, solar dried, milled and packaged into polypropylene (PP), plastic (PL) and polyethylene (PL) packages. The samples were then stored for six months in refrigerated and ambient conditions where by changes in physical and biochemical attributes were monitored. Iodine values significantly decreased in all the packages while peroxide, p-anisidine and saponification values significantly increased. SFA, MUFA and PUFA contents reduced during storage although a higher tendency for MUFA and PUFA values was observed in the refrigerated samples. Total viable count (TVC) and yeast and molds counts significantly increased in storage. Three types of fungi; Aspergillus spp., Alternaria spp. and Penicillium spp. were isolated in all the packages. Overall color change steadily decreased with increase in storage time. Deterioration was higher in samples stored in ambient conditions than in refrigeration. The degree of deterioration in the two storage environments among the different packages was in the order; PP>PE>PL. Although the PL package outperformed the other packages it is recommended to carry out sensory analysis and avoid post-processing contamination that can adversely affect the product quality and safety during storage.