Zinc absorption from maize-based meals enriched with edible house crickets: a randomized crossover stable-isotope study in Kenyan pre-school children.

ABSTRACT: Edible insects have been proposed as a novel and sustainable source of protein and other essential nutrients for human consumption but nutrient absorption efficiency is still uncertain. We investigated zinc absorption from house crickets (Acheta domesticus) in a single-center and single-blinded cross-over study with children aged 24-36 months old in Kenya from September-November 2021. For this, children were randomized to consume two different experimental meals labeled with stable isotopes of zinc (Zn) at two different days, separated by a wash-out period of one month. Primary endpoints were the differences in amount of absorbed zinc (AZ) from maize-based meals enriched with intrinsically ⁶⁷Zn-labeled house crickets (2.61 mg Zn, n = 28) in comparison with meals enriched with

SUBMITTER: Hilaj N 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC11761350 | biostudies-literature | 2025 Jan

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature