Cricket Protein Bioavailability in Younger, Middle-Aged and Older Adults

A global shift towards sustainable food sources is now emerging, largely due to the immense environmental pressure that comes from producing animal foods, particularly beef. Insects present a novel source of sustainable dietary protein due to their high protein content. This is particularly relevant for older adults, as protein becomes increasingly more important in later life. It helps to maintain muscle as we age, which is crucial for reducing frailty, falls and early mortality. We want to find out more about the digestion and absorption of insect protein in older people to see if it could be a beneficial source of protein to help maintain muscle. We are interested in the use of insect-based solid foods, especially the use of flour made from grounded whole crickets. We want to explore the digestibility of cricket protein compared to a commonly used animal alternative (whey protein) to find out if it can be efficiently absorbed and utilised within humans.