Bread enriched with flour from cinereous cockroach (Nauphoeta cinerea)

Animals and insects are the main sources of protein. The objective of the present study was to produce a flour from cinereous cockroach (Nauphoeta cinerea) for protein enrichment of wheat bread. To prepare the flour, the dehydrated insects were crushed and sieved to reduce the granulometry to a particle size of 1.18 mm. The flour was analyzed microbiologically and then added in amounts of 5, 10, and 15% (based on wheat flour) in a bread formulation that was analyzed for chemical composition and color, firmness, and specific volume and compared to white wheat bread and whole wheat bread. Sensorial evaluation was carried out on bread enriched with 10% roasted flour as the one that presented the best nutritional characteristics, differing little from the white and whole wheat bread. It is concluded that the use of cinereous cockroach (Nauphoeta cinerea) flour is an efficient way to enrich wheat bread without alterations in sensorial quality.