Evaluation 1

February 23, 2016 – Dr. Michele Maghenzani

Bugsolutely Cricket Pasta (fusilli) has great nutritional properties, superior to those of traditional pasta products. In this brief report we compared Cricket Pasta nutritional facts with those of:

• Official USDA nutritional data for non-enriched dry pasta (farfalle type, which is very similar to fusilli)
• Two wheat flour dry pastas, from two well known Italian brands
• One enriched dry pasta, from well known Italian brand (US modified version)

* The enriched pasta has been taken into consideration because pasta made from white flour sold in the United States is required to be enriched with niacin (Vitamin B3), riboflavin (Vitamin B2), thiamin (vitamin B1), folic acid (vitamin B9) and iron.

All the nutritional labels used in the comparisons can be found in the Annex.

The following conclusions were made of Bugsolutely Cricket Pasta in comparison to the others:

HIGHER CONTENT OF PROTEIN AND BETTER BIOLOGICAL QUALITY
Unlike traditional pasta, one of the best qualities about the Bugsolutely Cricket Pasta is the amount of protein it contains. Integrating cricket flour, the fusilli has 77% more protein than the other traditional pastas. Moreover, these proteins have a higher biological quality (crickets have all the 9 essential amino acids in good proportions).

LOWER LEVELS OF CARBOHYDRATES
The Cricket Pasta has around 10-15% less carbohydrates than other pastas; therefore it also provides a lower glycemic load (GL). This low-carb pasta is balanced out by its’ other benefits (protein, fats).

HIGHER AND UNIQUE PROVISION OF POLYUNSATURATED FATS (OMEGA FATTY ACIDS)
The Bugsolutely pasta provides around five times more polyunsaturated fats than the other pastas. It gives a good amount of the essential fatty acids with 1.2g of Omega 6 and a unique inclusion of Omega 3 (not present in other traditional pasta) with 5.5mg that is more than 2% of the recommended daily intake needs (EFSA, 2010) per serving. 

* Polyunsaturated fats are beneficial, substitute for trans fats and saturated fats.

HIGHER CONTENT OF FIBER
Bugsolutely Cricket Pasta has 5.3g fiber in every 100g, almost double that of other traditional pasta, providing 12% of the daily intake needs per serving.

UNIQUE SOURCE OF VITAMIN B12 AND VITAMIN C
Traditional pastas do not contain vitamin B12 or vitamin C. Vitamin B12 in particular is usually only present in livestock such as cattle and sheep. Cricket flour gives this additional advantage to the fusilli, providing 10% of daily intake needs of vitamin B12 and almost 2% of vitamin C per serving.

HIGHER CONTENT OF IRON AND CALCIUM
Bugsolutely Cricket Pasta has approximately double the amount of iron and calcium than traditional pasta. The iron content in the enriched pasta (US) is a bit higher (10% vs 8%).

Nutritional data sources:
– Bugsolutely Cricket Pasta independent lab tests results
– USDA National Nutrient Database webpage
– label 1 traditional pasta label
– label 2 traditional pasta label
– label 3 enriched pasta (US) label

Evaluation 2

February 26, 2016 – Dr. Nednapis Vatanasuchart

Bugsolutely Cricket Pasta contains good nutritional qualities. One serving size of 55 g dry pasta provides energy of 210 kcal, 3 g fat, 35 g carbohydrate, 12 g protein, 3 g dietary fiber, 80 mg sodium, 5 g sugar and 0.62 mcg vitamin B12 (shown in table).

This cricket fusilli is especially high in protein, containing 12 g, which is 24% of DRV (Daily Reference Values), thus this product can be claimed ‘high or rich in protein’ according to the nutrient content claims established by the USFDA. In addition, when compared to similar products sold in the supermarket, this fusilli has about double the amount of protein, as shown in table. Functionally, protein is a “macronutrient,” meaning that the body needs relatively large amounts of it for maintaining good health. Protein is an essential component of every cell in the body. Your body uses protein to build and repair tissues, and hair and nails are even made mostly of protein. You use protein to make enzymes, hormones, and other body chemicals and protein is, of course, an important building block of bones, muscles, cartilage, skin and blood.

It is a nutritious source of dietary fiber. Foods containing fiber provide health benefits such as helping to maintain a healthy weight and lowering the risk of diabetes and heart disease as well as the ability to prevent or relieve constipation. This fusilli contains 3 g of dietary fiber which is 12% of DRV, making it a good source of dietary fiber.

The Cricket Pasta is also a food source that contains vitamin B12. Vitamin B12 is a water-soluble vitamin that helps to make a healthy nervous system, red blood cells and digestive system. It is responsible for energy production and also protects against high blood pressure, heart disease, stroke and cancer. It is essential for cell reproduction and constant renewal of healthy skin, hair and nails. Commonly, Vitamin B12 rarely comes from plant sources, and pastas made from wheat without egg contain no vitamin B12. The highest amount of vitamin B12 we found in pasta came from a fresh-refrigerated plain pasta that contained egg, which has 0.31 mcg of vitamin B12 per 100g. Bugsolutely Cricket Pasta contains 0.62 mcg per one serving size (55 g) of vitamin B12, about four times higher. When calculated into % DRV, the content is about 10% of DRV.

Evaluated by: Dr. Nednapis Vatanasuchart (M.Sc. Nutrition, Ph.D. Food Science)
Expert Researcher, Institute of Food Research and Product Development, Kasetsart University, Bangkok, Thailand.