The introduction of insects or their derivatives into the Western diet could address the growing demand for animal protein due to population growth.

In a recent study conducted by a group of Italian researchers (Mercatante et al., 2025), the nutritional and culinary properties of pasta (penne rigate) formulated with 10% cricket (Acheta domesticus) flour were evaluated, using a pasta made from 100% durum wheat semolina as a control.

The results demonstrate that the enriched samples showed significantly higher protein, lipid, total dietary fiber, and ash contents, as well as lower starch content compared to the conventional product. Furthermore, the proposed formulation contained a higher presence of resistant starch and a reduced fraction of digestible starch. Starch hydrolysis kinetics revealed first-order behavior for the enriched pasta, suggesting a more controlled degradation compared to the linear progression of conventional pasta.