Microscopic Examination of Foods Containing Insects
References
- 1. van Huis, A., Itterbeeck, J. V., Klunder, H., Mertens, E., Halloran, A., Muir, G., Vantomme, P., 2013: Edible insects: future prospects for food and feed security, Rome, 201 s. E-ISBN 978-92-5-107596-8.
- 2. European Union, 2021a: Commission Implementing Regulation (EU) 2021/882 of 1 June 2021 authorising the placing on the market of dried Tenebrio molitor larva as a novel food under Regulation (EU) 2015/2283 of the European Parliament and of the Council, and amending Commission Implementing Regulation (EU) 2017/2470. OJ L 194, 2.6.2021, pp. 16–20. Available from: http://data.europa.eu/eli/reg_impl/2021/882/oj
- 3. European Union, 2021b: Commission Implementing Regulation (EU) 2021/1975 of 12 November 2021 authorising the placing on the market of frozen, dried and powder forms of Locusta migratoria as a novel food under Regulation (EU) 2015/2283 of the European Parliament and of the Council and amending Commission Implementing Regulation (EU) 2017/2470. OJ L 402, 15.11.2021, pp. 10–16. Available from: http://data.europa.eu/eli/reg_impl/2021/1975/oj
- 4. European Union, 2022: Commission Implementing Regulation (EU) 2022/188 of 10 February 2022 authorising the placing on the market of frozen, dried and powder forms of Acheta domesticus as a novel food under Regulation (EU) 2015/2283 of the European Parliament and of the Council, and amending Commission Implementing Regulation (EU) 2017/2470. OJ L 30, 11.2.2022, pp. 108–113. Available from: http://data.europa.eu/eli/reg_impl/2022/188/oj
- 5. European Union, 2023: Commission Implementing Regulation (EU) 2023/58 of 5 January 2023 authorising the placing on the market of the frozen, paste, dried and powder forms of Alphitobius diaperinus larvae (lesser mealworm) as a novel food and amending Implementing Regulation (EU) 2017/2470. OJ L 5, 6.1.2023, pp. 10–15. Available from: http://data.europa.eu/eli/reg_impl/2023/58/oj
- 6. Rumpold, B. A., Schlüter, O. K., 2013: Nutritional composition and safety aspects of edible insects. Mol. Nutr. Food Res., 57, 5, 802–823. DOI: 10.1002/mnfr.201200735
- 7. van Huis, A., 2020: Insects as food and feed, a new emerging agricultural sector: A review. J. Insects Food Feed, 6, 1, 27–44. DOI: 10.3920/JIFF2019.0017
- 8. D’Antonio, V., Battista, N., Sacchetti, G., Di Mattia, C., Serafini, M., 2023: Functional properties of edible insects: A systematic review. Nutr. Res. Rev., 36, 1, 98–119. DOI: 10.1017/S0954422421000366
- 9. Barnabé, M. L. F., Abrantes, L. C. S., Fialho, T. C., Oliveira, L. A., Pereira, S. M. S., Dias, K. A, et al., 2024: Effect of edible insect powder incorporation on nutritional and sensory properties of food products: A systematic review. J. Insects Food Feed, 11, 7, 1137–1167. DOI: 10.1163/23524588-00001340
- 10. Amoah, I., Cobbinah, J. C., Yeboah, J. A., Essiam, F. A., Lim, J. J., Tandoh, M. A., Rush, E., 2023: Edible insect powder for enrichment of bakery products–A review of nutritional, physical characteristics and acceptability of bakery products to consumers. Future Foods, 8, 100251. DOI: 1016/j.fufo.2023.100251
- 11. Zielińska, E., Sidor, P., Pankiewicz, U., 2026: Fortification of durum wheat pasta with mealworm (Tenebrio molitor) powder: Physicochemical, nutraceutical, and sensory effects. Molecules, 31, 2, 298. DOI: 10.3390/molecules31020298
- 12. Carpentieri, S., Orkusz, A., Harasym, J., Ferrari, G., 2025: Exploring the use of Tenebrio molitor larvae proteins to functionalize durum wheat pasta. Foods, 14, 7, 1194. DOI: 10.3390/foods14071194
- 13. Sriprablom, J., Kitthawee, S., Suphantharika, M., 2022: Functional and physicochemical properties of cookies enriched with edible insect (Tenebrio molitor and Zophobas atratus) powders. J. Food Meas. Charact., 16, 3, 2181–2190. DOI: 10.1007/s11694-022-01324-2
- 14. Marien, A., Dubois, B., Fumiére, O., Anselmo, A., Mal-jean, J., Debailleul, C., et al., 2025: Authentication of insect-based products in food and feed: A benchmark survey. Insects, 16, 7, 729. DOI: 10.3390/insects16070729
- 15. Weiner, A., Kwiatek, K., 2022: Laboratory experience with the microscopic method for the detection of insects in poultry feeds. J. Vet. Res., 66, 3, 403–409. DOI: 10.2478/jvetres-2022-0040
- 16. Chapman, R. F., 1998: The insects: structure and function. Cambridge university press, Cambridge, 959 p. ISBN: 978-0-521-11389-2.
- 17. Sánchez‑Pardo, M. E., Ortiz‑Moreno, A., Mora‑Escobedo, R., Chanona‑Pérez, J. J., Necoechea‑Mondragón, H., 2008: Comparison of crumb microstructure from pound cakes baked in a microwave or conventional oven. LWT - Food Sci. Technol., 41, 4, 620–627. DOI: 10.1016/j.lwt.2007.05.003
- 18. Locquin, M. V., Langeron, M., 1983: Handbook of Microscopy. Butterworths, London, 322 p. ISBN 0-408-10679-4.
- 19. Lukášková, Z. Ř., Tremlová, B., Pospiech, M., Renčová, E., Randulová, Z., Steinhauser, L., et al., 2011: Comparison of immunohistochemical, histochemical and immuno-chemical methods for the detection of wheat protein allergens in meat samples and cooked, dry, raw and fermented sausage samples. Food Addit. Contam. Part A, 28, 7, 817–825. DOI: 10.1080/19440049.2011.572292
- 20. Veys, P., Baeten, V., 2018: Protocol for the isolation of processed animal proteins from insects in feed and their identification by microscopy. Food Control, 92, 496–504. DOI: 10.1016/j.foodcont.2018.05.028
- 21. Pečová, M., Javůrková, Z., Bartlová, M., Pospiech, M., 2024: Detection of edible insect as a component of snack bars using histochemical method. J. Food Compos. Anal., 132, 106312. DOI: 10.1016/j.jfca.2024.106312
- 22. Negi, A., Anandharaj, A., Kalakandan, S., Rajamani, M., 2021: A molecular approach for the detection and quantification of Tribolium castaneum (Herbst) infestation in stored wheat flour. Food Tech. Biotech., 59, 1, 112–121. DOI: 10.17113/ftb.59.01.21.6902
- 23. Tata, A., Massaro, A., Marzoli, F., Miano, B., Bragolusi, M., Piro, R., Belluco, S., 2022: Authentication of edible insects’ powders by the combination of DART-HRMS signatures: the first application of ambient mass spectrometry to screening of novel food. Foods, 11, 15, 2264. DOI: 10.3390/foods11152264
- 24. Schiel, L., Wind, C., Krueger, S., Braun, P. G., Koethe, M., 2022: Applicability of analytical methods for determining the composition of edible insects in German Food Control. J. Food Compos. Anal., 112, 104676. DOI: 10.1016/j. jfca.2022.104676
- 25. Lisboa, H. M., Andrade, R., Lima, J., Batista, L., Costa, M. E., Sarinho, A., et al., 2025: Harnessing insects as novel food ingredients: Nutritional, functional, and processing perspectives. Insects, 16, 8, 783. DOI: 10.3390/insects16080783
- 26. Dacanal, G. C., 2024: Particle size and morphology in food science and technology: A review. Int. J. Food Sci. Technol., 59, 10, 6821–6833. DOI: 10.1111/ijfs.17475
- 27. Wendin, K., Mårtensson, L., Djerf, H., Langton, M., 2020: Product quality during the storage of foods with insects as an ingredient: Impact of particle size, antioxidant, oil content and salt content. Foods, 9, 6, 791. DOI: 10.3390/foods9060791
- 28. Ottoboni, M., Tretola, M., Cheli, F., Marchis, D., Veys, P., Baeten, V., Pinotti, L., 2017: Light microscopy with differential staining techniques for the characterisation and discrimination of insects versus marine arthropods processed animal proteins. Food Addit. Contam. Part A, 34, 8, 1377–1383. DOI: 10.1080/19440049.2016.1278464
- 29. Pečová, M., Pospiech, M., Ljasovská, S., Javůrková, Z., Tremlová, B., 2020: Microscopic structure of edible insects using LM and SEM. Maso International, 10, 1, 67–71.
- 30. Zdeňková, K., Čermáková, E., Vejl, P., Čermáková, A., Vašek, J., 2025: Analytical methods for the identification of edible and feed insects: Focus on DNA-based techniques. Foods, 14, 11, 2002. DOI: 10.3390/foods14112002
Language: English
Page range: 62 - 68
Submitted on: Jun 24, 2026
Accepted on: Jul 31, 2026
Published on: Sep 30, 2026
Published by: The University of Veterinary Medicine and Pharmacy in Košice
In partnership with: Paradigm Publishing Services
Publication frequency: 4 issues per year
Keywords:
Related subjects:
© 2026 Zdeňka Javůrková, Rosálie Homolková, Matej Pospiech, Marie Bartlová, Lenka Havlová, Jan Dobeš, Bohuslava Tremlová, published by The University of Veterinary Medicine and Pharmacy in Košice
This work is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 License.