Melon bug and Sorghum bug ice cream

“Ice cream was made by using 0.5% insect’s gelatin and compared with that made using 0.5% commercial gelatin as stabilizing agent.”

The two insects concerned, the melon bug (Coridius viduatus) and sorghum bug (Agonoscelis versicoloratus versicoloratus) were the subject of an investigation described in a new paper (for the journal Food Science and Technology International) by Professor Abdalbasit Adam Mariod Al-Nadif [pictured] of the Faculty of Sciences and Arts-Alkamil, King Abdulaziz University, Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, and colleague Hadia Fadul of the Department of Food Science & Technology, College of Agricultural Studies, Sudan University of Science & Technology, Khartoum North, Sudan.

The researchers note that:

“The properties of the obtained ice cream produced using insects [sic] gelatin were significantly different when compared with that made using commercial gelatin.“

Unfortunately, the paper’s abstract doesn’t specify what the significant differences were. See: ‘Extraction and characterization of gelatin from two edible Sudanese insects and its applications in ice cream making’ Food Science and Technology International, July 2015 vol. 21 no. 5 380-391.

Note: The sorghum bug is a species of the Agonoscelis genus, which along with the Tessaratomidae family, are commonly referred to as stink-bugs. See: Nutritional value of eating stinkbugs

Also see: (Ice cream related)

• The McMath ice cream licking hypothesis

• Dr. Altschuler on … Applied Ice Cream Headaches

• Kids’ brain response to ice cream and a milkshake

Bonus: The paper cites a definition of ice cream provided by Choo et al. 2010 :

“Ice cream is a frozen and aerated dairy-based dessert that [is] usually associated with happiness, pleasure and fun. Psychologically, the consumption of ice cream evokes an enjoyable state for a person.”