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Edible Insects as Human Food: Perceptions of Individuals from Six Countries

2026-04-17Artigo científico Acesso aberto
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dc.contributor.authorde Pinho Ferreira Guiné, Raquel
dc.contributor.authorFlorença, Sofia de Guiné e
dc.contributor.authorAnayansi Escalante-Aburto
dc.contributor.authorRosa María Mariscal-Moreno
dc.contributor.authorCésar Ozuna
dc.contributor.authorLucio Rodríguez-Sifuentes
dc.contributor.authorCristina Chuck-Hernández
dc.contributor.authorMarijana Matek Sarić
dc.contributor.authorNada M. Boustani
dc.contributor.authorElena Bartkiene
dc.contributor.authorCristina Filip
dc.contributor.authorSimona Pârvu
dc.contributor.authorMonica Tarcea
dc.date.accessioned2026-04-29T09:30:28Z
dc.date.available2026-04-29T09:30:28Z
dc.date.issued2026-04-17
dc.description.abstract<jats:p>Edible insects (EIs) have been suggested as a sustainable alternative to meat from traditional sources. However, despite EIs being consumed by humans since time immemorial, it is also true that, in many areas, especially in Western countries, there is some resistance and even neophobia to their acceptance as food. This work aimed to investigate the perceptions about EIs and validate a corresponding scale. This descriptive cross-sectional study was carried out by means of a questionnaire survey on a sample of 3711 participants in six countries (Croatia, Lebanon, Lithuania, Mexico, Portugal and Romania). Data were analysed by factor and cluster analyses, as well as other statistical tools. The results showed that, out of the initial 36 items in the questionnaire, 24 were validated in the scale of perceptions, distributed across six factors. Cluster analysis showed that the participants could be grouped according to three clusters (Traditionalists, Shoppers and Innovators). Statistical tests revealed significant differences (p &lt; 0.05) between the clusters in practically all sociodemographic and consumption variables studied. Finally, a word analysis of the 2263 words indicated by the participants when thinking about EIs revealed that the most frequent words were ‘disgusting’, ‘protein’, and ‘nutritive’ in all three clusters. However, differences were observed after the fourth position in the list of most frequent words. In conclusion, these results indicate that perceptions of EIs were highly variable across countries of origin and other sociodemographic groups, and that, globally, participants exhibited some neophobia towards EIs. However, they recognised their value in terms of nutrition, particularly protein. This work evidences some relevant aspects that can be useful to adapt and define targeted policies to demystify the negative perceptions about EIs and improve consumer acceptance, thus contributing to more sustainable food systems.</jats:p>
dc.identifier.citationGuiné RPF, Florença SG, Escalante-Aburto A, Mariscal-Moreno RM, Ozuna C, Rodríguez-Sifuentes L, Chuck-Hernández C, Sarić MM, Boustani NM, Bartkiene E, Filip C, Pârvu S, Tarcea M. (2026) Edible Insects as Human Food: Perceptions of Individuals from Six Countries. Insects. 17(4):434 (26 pp.).
dc.identifier.doi10.3390/insects17040434
dc.identifier.issn2075-4450
dc.identifier.urihttp://hdl.handle.net/10400.19/9908
dc.language.isoeng
dc.peerreviewedyes
dc.publisherMDPI AG
dc.relation.ispartofInsects
dc.rights.urihttp://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
dc.subjectsociodemographic groups
dc.subjectfactor analysis
dc.subjectcluster analysis
dc.subjectword analysis
dc.subjecteating insects
dc.titleEdible Insects as Human Food: Perceptions of Individuals from Six Countries
dc.typejournal article
dspace.entity.typePublication
oaire.citation.issue4
oaire.citation.titleFoods
oaire.citation.volume17
oaire.versionhttp://purl.org/coar/version/c_970fb48d4fbd8a85
person.familyNamede Pinho Ferreira Guiné
person.familyNameFlorença
person.givenNameRaquel
person.givenNameSofia de Guiné e
person.identifierhttps://scholar.google.pt/citations?user=abFDovIAAAAJ&hl=pt-PT
person.identifier.ciencia-id8B13-5492-0F23
person.identifier.ciencia-id5E15-B350-302D
person.identifier.orcid0000-0003-0595-6805
person.identifier.orcid0000-0003-2541-4448
person.identifier.scopus-author-id6603138390
person.identifier.scopus-author-id57210748939
relation.isAuthorOfPublication59580952-77cc-4e4e-ae90-527a8b994f9f
relation.isAuthorOfPublicationed40529c-4ea6-4daf-bda3-4f9b904d24eb
relation.isAuthorOfPublication.latestForDiscovery59580952-77cc-4e4e-ae90-527a8b994f9f

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