摘要
The health benefits of nutrients provided by edible insects are not properly studied, even though insect intake in LatinAmerican and Asia is a cultural tradition since ancient times. Insects from the giant water bug （Belostomidae family） are consumedboth in Mexico and Thailand, and are known as ＂Cucarachon de agua＂ （Lethocerus americanus） and ＂Mangda＂ （Lethocerus indicus）,respectively. Raw samples of these insects were collected on 2014 at Xochimilco channels from Mexico and from Warorot nightmarket in Chiang Mai, Thailand to further analyze nutrient composition of samples according to official methods of analysis （AOAC）techniques. The nutrient compositions were as following： proteins 60.12% and 53.11%; lipids 5.72% and 8.15%; minerals 5.46% and6.75%; fiber 10.95 % and 12.23%; soluble carbohydrates 17.75% and 19.74%, for insects obtained from Mexico and Thailand,respectively. Giant water bug shows differences in nutrient composition. It may be the consequence of differences in the environmentwhere they acquire the nutrients necessary for growth and reproduction. However, giant water bugs are available all year around andare a good source of proteins that could help people to obtain a cheaper source of this important macronutrient.
