Edible Termites in Western Kenya

Termitidea is one of the largest family of termites in the order Isoptera. The three edible termites evaluated belong to this family. They include Allodontermes tenax, Pseudocanthotermes grandiceps and Macrotermes jeanneli. The aspects evaluated included proximate composition, consumer preference, preservation methods, survival rates, food preference and amino acid content of A. tenax, P. grandiceps and M. jeanneli. On proximate composition, P. grandiceps have low levels of starch, 54% crude protein, 9.0% moisture, 10.8% ash, 9.5% crude fibre. Sun drying resulted to massive loss of major nutrient sources. Frying and roasting improved the consumer appeal. Smoking only changed the texture while salting and freezing changed the moisture content and taste. The best termite species for mass production is A. tenax since its worker caste showed a higher rate of survival and can be induced to swarm. The three termite species had the required essential and nonessential amino acids. The most preferred food item that increased survival rates of the three species was wheat straw.