Dr. Aaron T. Dossey

Details the current state and future direction of insects as a sustainable source of protein, food, feed, medicine, and other useful biomaterials
Provides valuable guidance that is useful to anyone interested in utilizing insects as food ingredients
Presents insects as an alternative protein/nutrient source that is ideal for food companies, nutritionists, entomologists, food entrepreneurs, and athletes, etc.
Summarizes the current state-of-the-art, providing helpful recommendations on… Show more

Details the current state and future direction of insects as a sustainable source of protein, food, feed, medicine, and other useful biomaterials
Provides valuable guidance that is useful to anyone interested in utilizing insects as food ingredients
Presents insects as an alternative protein/nutrient source that is ideal for food companies, nutritionists, entomologists, food entrepreneurs, and athletes, etc.
Summarizes the current state-of-the-art, providing helpful recommendations on building companies, products, and research programs
Ideal reference for researchers, entrepreneurs, farmers, policymakers, and anyone interested in insect mass production and the industrial use of insects

Describes how insects can be mass produced and incorporated into our food supply at an industrial and cost-effective scale, providing valuable guidance on how to build the insect-based agriculture and the food and biomaterial industry. Editor Aaron Dossey, a pioneer in the processing of insects for human consumption, brings together a team of international experts who effectively summarize the current state-of-the-art, providing helpful recommendations on which readers can build companies, products, and research programs.
Researchers, entrepreneurs, farmers, policymakers, and anyone interested in insect mass production and the industrial use of insects will benefit from the content in this comprehensive reference. The book contains all the information a basic practitioner in the field needs, making this a useful resource for those writing a grant, a research or review article, a press article, or news clip, or for those deciding how to enter the world of insect based food ingredients.
Readership

Food Scientists, Nutrition researchers, Sustainable food researchers, Entomologists; Students in Entomology, Food Science, Agriculture and Sustainability courses; Academic researchers, professors, and post-docs; regulators Show less

Abstract
The utilization of insects as a sustainable and secure source of animal-based food for the human diet has continued to increase in popularity in recent years. Throughout the world, a large portion of the human population consumes insects as a regular part of their diet, and thousands of edible species have been identified. However, in regions of the world where Western cultures dominate, mass media have negatively influenced the public's perception of insects by creating or… Show more

Abstract
The utilization of insects as a sustainable and secure source of animal-based food for the human diet has continued to increase in popularity in recent years. Throughout the world, a large portion of the human population consumes insects as a regular part of their diet, and thousands of edible species have been identified. However, in regions of the world where Western cultures dominate, mass media have negatively influenced the public's perception of insects by creating or reinforcing fears and phobias. Nonetheless, the potentially substantial benefits of farming and utilizing insects as a supplemental dietary component, or to replace foods and food ingredients made from vertebrate livestock, are gaining increased attention in Western-dominated cultures.

Keywords
Commercialization; Edible insects; Entomophagy; Environment; Food security; Nutrition; Regulation; Social change; Technology Show less

As the human population grows, it is ever more important to temper our levels of consumption of the Earth’s dwindling resources. Humans currently consume at least 40 percent of potential terrestrial productivity, and some 30 percent of the land on Earth is used to pasture and feed livestock. Food reserves are the lowest they’ve been in 40 years, yet—thanks to an expanding population that the United Nations (UN) expects to grow to more than 9 billion by 2050—the demand for food will increase… Show more

As the human population grows, it is ever more important to temper our levels of consumption of the Earth’s dwindling resources. Humans currently consume at least 40 percent of potential terrestrial productivity, and some 30 percent of the land on Earth is used to pasture and feed livestock. Food reserves are the lowest they’ve been in 40 years, yet—thanks to an expanding population that the United Nations (UN) expects to grow to more than 9 billion by 2050—the demand for food will increase dramatically over the coming decades. Climate change, reduced productivity of agricultural lands, overfishing, dwindling freshwater resources, pollution from fertilizers and pesticides, and a host of other factors mean that this population increase will place a disproportionate burden on Earth’s ecosphere. Something has to change. One possible solution exists literally right under our noses, as well as below our feet and all around us: insects. Show less

Insects are the largest and most diverse group of organisms on earth, with over 1,000,000 species identified to date. Stick insects (“walkingsticks” or “phasmids”, Order Phasmatodea) are known for and name-derived from their camouflage that acts as a primary line of defense from predation. However, many species also possess a potent chemical defense spray. Recently we discovered that the spray of Asceles glaber contains spiroketals [a confirmed major component:… Show more

Insects are the largest and most diverse group of organisms on earth, with over 1,000,000 species identified to date. Stick insects (“walkingsticks” or “phasmids”, Order Phasmatodea) are known for and name-derived from their camouflage that acts as a primary line of defense from predation. However, many species also possess a potent chemical defense spray. Recently we discovered that the spray of Asceles glaber contains spiroketals [a confirmed major component: (2S,6R)-(−)(E)-2-methyl-1,7-dioxaspiro[5.5]undecane, and a tentatively identified minor component: 2-ethyl-1,6-dioxaspiro[4.5]decane] and glucose. In this paper, we: 1) illustrate the identification of spiroketals and glucose in the defense spray of A. glaber by using Nuclear Magnetic Resonance (NMR), Gas Chromatography/Mass Spectrometry (GC/MS), and comparison with a synthetic reference sample; 2) provide the elucidation of the absolute configuration of the major spiroketal in that defense spray; and 3) demonstrate the effect of this compound and its enantiomer on both fire ants (Solenopsis invicta) and mosquitoes (Aedes aegypti). Show less

Nematodes utilize an extensive chemical language based on glycosides of the dideoxysugar ascarylose for developmental regulation, male sex attraction, aggregation, and dispersal. However, no examples of a female- or hermaphrodite-specific sex attractant have been identified to date. In this study, we investigated the pheromone system of the gonochoristic sour paste nematode Panagrellus redivivus, which produces sex-specific attractants of the opposite gender. Activity-guided fractionation of… Show more

Nematodes utilize an extensive chemical language based on glycosides of the dideoxysugar ascarylose for developmental regulation, male sex attraction, aggregation, and dispersal. However, no examples of a female- or hermaphrodite-specific sex attractant have been identified to date. In this study, we investigated the pheromone system of the gonochoristic sour paste nematode Panagrellus redivivus, which produces sex-specific attractants of the opposite gender. Activity-guided fractionation of the P. redivivus exometabolome revealed that males are strongly attracted to ascr#1 (a.k.a. daumone), an ascaroside previously identified from Caenorhabditis elegans hermaphrodites. Female P. redivivus are repelled by high concentrations of ascr#1 but are specifically attracted to a previously undiscovered ascaroside that we named dhas#18, a dihydroxy derivative of the known ascr#18 and the first ascaroside that features extensive functionalization of the lipid-derived side chain. Targeted profiling of the P. redivivus exometabolome revealed several additional ascarosides that did not induce strong chemotaxis. We show that P. redivivus females, but not males, produce the male-attracting ascr#1, whereas males, but not females, produce the female-attracting dhas#18. These results demonstrate that ascaroside biosynthesis in P. redivivus is highly gender-specific. Furthermore, the extensive side-chain functionalization in dhas#18, which is reminiscent of polyketide-derived natural products, indicates unanticipated biosynthetic capabilities in nematodes. Show less

http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/05/110511193252.htm

Tiffany L. Weir, Scott Newbold, Jorge M. Vivanco, Megan van Haren, Christopher Fritchman, Aaron T. Dossey, Stefan Bartram, Wilhelm Boland, Eric G. Cosio, and Waltraud Kofer, Plant-Inhabiting Ant Utilizes Chemical Cues for Host Discrimination, Published and available ONLINE in Biotropica as of May 12, 2011. Article featured in ScienceDaily News online May 12, 2011 and soon in the New York Times.

Insects make up the largest and most diverse group of organisms on earth, contributing to as much as 80–90% of the world’s biodiversity. Approximately 950,000 species of insects have been described; some estimate there are 4,000,000+ species in total. Over 70% of drugs on the market are derived from natural compounds. However, insects are one of the least explored groups in drug discovery. The world adds about 70 million people each year. In this chapter you will find: (1) an introduction to… Show more

Insects make up the largest and most diverse group of organisms on earth, contributing to as much as 80–90% of the world’s biodiversity. Approximately 950,000 species of insects have been described; some estimate there are 4,000,000+ species in total. Over 70% of drugs on the market are derived from natural compounds. However, insects are one of the least explored groups in drug discovery. The world adds about 70 million people each year. In this chapter you will find: (1) an introduction to the topic of arthropod chemical biodiversity and chemical defense; (2) a brief discussion on various uses of insect chemistry by various cultures; (3) an overview of insect venoms and other chemical defense studies, with a case study on methods utilized to analyze ant venoms; (4) a short discussion on the importance of preserving tropical habitats for bioprospecting; (5) a review of research on stick insect (Order Phasmatodea) chemical defenses, stick insects as a model for biosynthesis studies and my personal experiences with the editors of this book and 2008 PASI workshop in Peru which resulted in this chapter; (6) an overview of examples from the literature of insect-derived substances with medicinally relevant biological properties such as toxins and antibiotics; (7) a brief description of the importance of studying biosynthetic pathways in insects and other organisms from whence valuable natural products are identified and (8) a list of recommended literature which I expect would be of particular interest to the readers of this chapter. Show less

Aaron T. Dossey, Insects and Their Chemical Weaponry: New Potential for Drug Discovery, (2010) Invited review in Natural Product Reports, 27, (12), 1737-1757. Article is also featured on the cover of the December issue of NPR in which this article appears.

Awarded “Editors’ Choice Award” for best paper in 2009 (at the annual national meeting of the Entomological Society of America, December 2010).

Numerous color morphs of the southern twostriped walkingstick (or “devil rider“), Anisomorpha buprestoides (Stoll, 1813) (Phasmatodea: Areolatae: Pseudophasmatidae: Pseudophasmatinae: Anisomorphini), predominantly from Florida, are described and illustrated. Three main color forms of A. buprestoides are recognized: white, orange and brown. Type… Show more

Awarded “Editors’ Choice Award” for best paper in 2009 (at the annual national meeting of the Entomological Society of America, December 2010).

Numerous color morphs of the southern twostriped walkingstick (or “devil rider“), Anisomorpha buprestoides (Stoll, 1813) (Phasmatodea: Areolatae: Pseudophasmatidae: Pseudophasmatinae: Anisomorphini), predominantly from Florida, are described and illustrated. Three main color forms of A. buprestoides are recognized: white, orange and brown. Type specimens of A. buprestoides have been lost, but colored illustrations by its original describer are compared with the most similar color form described here. This is intended to support future selection of a neotype, which will become necessary for conducting any confirmed taxonomic studies. The common brown form is highly variable in size and coloration and exhibits a wide distribution, mainly throughout the more northern portions of the dispersal of A. buprestoides. The white and orange forms are restricted to rather small localities in central Florida and show affiliation with dryer habitats. The distribution of A. buprestoides, based on collecting records from various museum collections, extends as far south as Key West, FL, but the northern boundary of its range is unclear. The day-hiding, defensive, and oviposition behaviors are described and illustrated for the three recognized color forms and are shown to differ considerably with dependence on the respective habitat. A list of known host plants and alternative food plants used in captive breeding of A. buprestoides is provided, which proves this species to be rather polyphagous. Captive breeding on alternative food plants for three generations has shown the coloration to remain constant independent of food plant used. Our observations lead us to the conclusion that A. buprestoides is in every aspect capable of adaptation to ecological pressure. Show less

Made Hot Article for J Nat Prod; Featured in Chem Eng News, Raychelle Burks, Insect's Venom Eyed For Cancer Defense: Walkingstick's novel monoterpene shows activity against tumor cells, Aug. 9, 2007, p. 44.; For this paper Dr. Aaron T. Dossey was given the 2007 Jack L. Beal Award for Best Paper in the Journal of Natural Products, American Chemical Society and American Society of Pharmacognosy.

The defensive secretion of Parectatosoma mocquerysi, a walkingstick insect from Madagascar, was… Show more

Made Hot Article for J Nat Prod; Featured in Chem Eng News, Raychelle Burks, Insect's Venom Eyed For Cancer Defense: Walkingstick's novel monoterpene shows activity against tumor cells, Aug. 9, 2007, p. 44.; For this paper Dr. Aaron T. Dossey was given the 2007 Jack L. Beal Award for Best Paper in the Journal of Natural Products, American Chemical Society and American Society of Pharmacognosy.

The defensive secretion of Parectatosoma mocquerysi, a walkingstick insect from Madagascar, was determined to contain glucose, water, and a new monoterpene, parectadial, (4S)-(3-oxoprop-1-en-2-yl)cyclohex-1-enecarbaldehyde. Here, we describe the elucidation of parectadial's molecular structure and absolute configuration via microsample NMR technology, GC-MS, CD, chiral GC-FID, and synthesis from enantiomerically pure (S)- and (R)-perillaldehyde. This work demonstrates the value of walkingstick insects as sources of new bioactive compounds and provides an analytical framework for identifying such substances. Show less