Integrating edible insects into the human diet presents a promising and sustainable approach to addressing global protein demands while reducing the environmental impact, though it may face challenges related to consumer acceptance. Here, we experimentally evaluated the sensory perception and willingness to purchase bread fortified with house cricket (Acheta domesticus) flour (HCF) at 10% and 20% of total wheat flour weight.
The sensory assessment among Polish university female students (n = 31) was conducted under two trials: first, under fully blinded conditions, and then after participants were informed about the presence of insect flour. Alongside the preferences experiment, we analysed how HCF enrichment influenced the bread's nutritional profile.
Adding HCF increased protein levels by 5% for bread with 10% HCF and 9% for bread with 20% HCF, simultaneously enhancing iron and vitamin B12 content. However, insect flour adversely impacted sensory ratings, especially for bread with 20% HCF. Contrary to our original hypothesis, informing participants about HCF presence did not lower ratings; in fact, for bread with 10% HCF, it increased ratings to a level comparable to those of the control bread prior to unblinding.
Our study highlights the nutritional benefits of HCF fortification and suggests that enrichment at or below 10% may maintain sensory qualities comparable to conventional bread. Additionally, the results challenge the common assumption that awareness of insect ingredients might independently influence sensory perception.
