Aussie scientist: Maggot sausage is a meat alternative
Some people already debate the types of meat found in sausages, but this idea may make your stomach churn.
And not in a good way.
An Australian university scientist feels insects such as maggots can be incorporated into food products like sausage as an alternative to meat.
Scientist and professor Dr. Louwrens Hoffman, of the University of Queensland in Brisbane, said livestock industries will eventually not be able to meet the worldwide demand for meat, so finding an alternative source of protein is inevitable.
So that’s where insects come in.
“An overpopulated world is going to struggle to find enough protein unless people are willing to open their minds, and stomachs, to a much broader notion of food,” Hoffman told
, an Australian food industry publication. “Would you eat a commercial sausage made from maggots?
“What about other insect larvae and even whole insects like locusts? The biggest potential for sustainable protein production lies with insects and new plant sources.”
The team at The Queensland Alliance for Agriculture and Food Innovation is looking to please the taste palates of the Western Hemisphere by disguising bugs in pre-prepped food items. That’s because previous studies have shown that people will refuse to eat whole insect products, Hoffman claimed.
Hoffman said insect protein needs to act as an ingredient in food products, such as a
created by one of his students.
There are other sources of sustainable protein, such as kangaroo meat, Hoffman suggested. He said kangaroos don’t need grasslands for grazing.
The scientists are also experimenting with chickens by supplementing normal feed with black fly larvae, which Hoffman said is “more sustainable, ethical and green” than current grain crops.
While Westerners may think eating insects is gross, it’s already “a familiar part of the diet” for millions around the world, Hoffman said.