Flour Crickets Between Taste and Nutrition

Retailers can not afford neophobia.

Originally published by Retail Watch from source written by Daniele Tirelli with title: “NRF 2015: i grilli di EXOFOODS. Oh!”

What is on the border line of innovation and outlines to be "weird and extreme" arouses natural psychological tensions, but often worth deepening the content and evaluating the advantages to be gained. This case concerns the company EXOFOODS and in particular a product: flour crickets!

Exodus produces chocolate bars, enriched flour crickets.

But why crickets pulverized? 

Simple: 

1. they are a rich source of protein and eco-compatible. The crickets, in fact, convert their feed protein (edible for humans) with an efficiency 20 times higher than that of bovine animals; 
2. these insects produce 1/80th of the methane generated by cattle; 
3. in 100 grams of their edible substance, crickets give 69% protein, compared to 29% of a normal steak and 31% of chicken meat. 

Wanting to synthesize, a bar of EXO weight of 60 grams would provide in the order:

1. 300 cal.;
2. 10 gr. protein; 
3. 7 gr. fiber; 
4. only 3 grams of cholesterol;
5. no less calcium and iron. 

That said, the mix of this flour Acheta domesticus, with cocoa, with apple or with cranberries make its flavor very similar to that of normal snacks and better than that of certain snack foods.

Gatorade, Slim Fast, but also less characterized foods like sushi, coffee arabica 100%, the goji berry were viewed with suspicion in the time of introduction. 

Retailers can not afford neophobia. 

What is important is to understand if something can be to the liking for others, for an audience as wide as possible. 

Perhaps even if initially, all seems very strange…