Celiac.com Sponsor (A1):

Celiac.com Sponsor (A1-m):

  • You've found your Celiac Tribe! Join our like-minded, private community and share your story, get encouragement and connect with others.

    💬

    • Sign In
    • Sign Up
  • Jefferson Adams

    High Protein Gluten-free Flour from Crickets?

    Jefferson Adams

    By Jefferson Adams •

    0
    Reviewed and edited by a celiac disease expert.

    Photo: Wikimedia Commons
    Caption: Photo: Wikimedia Commons

    Celiac.com 10/21/2014 - Insects offer one of the most concentrated and efficient forms of protein on the planet, and they are a common food in many parts of the world.

    Photo: Wikimedia Commons--ThogueSo, could high-protein flour made out of crickets change the future of gluten-free foods? A San Francisco Bay Area company is looking to make that possibility a reality.


    Celiac.com Sponsor (A12):




    Celiac.com Sponsor (A12-m):



    The company, Bitty Foods, is making flour from slow-roasted crickets that are then milled and combined with tapioca and cassava to make a high-protein flour that is gluten-free. According to the Bitty Foods website, a single cup of cricket flour contains a whopping 28 grams of protein.

    So can Bitty Foods persuade gluten-free consumers to try their high protein gluten-free flour? Only time will tell. In the mean time, stay tuned for more cricket flour developments.

    What do you think? Would you give it a try? If it worked well for baking, would you use it?

    0
    Go to articles

    User Feedback

    Recommended Comments

    Guest Laura

    Perhaps if the name of the flour weren't called "cricket flour," I might consider it. Sounds creepy though--I gag at the thought of eating the occasional cricket that I catch jumping around my house in the summer. The thought of serving cricket flour to guests is another consideration--when I bake gluten-free, guests will often ask what's in gluten-free flour. I'm not sure how cricket flour would go over, especially with non-celiac consumers!

    Share this comment

    Link to comment
    Share on other sites
    Guest Sek

    I'm pretty adventurous so long as it is a safe food, but it would be awfully hard to get past the bug eating aspect. Many of the foods we consider acceptable are cultural. There are some who wouldn't bat an eye, but I wouldn't be one of them.

    Share this comment

    Link to comment
    Share on other sites
    Guest Molly

    Anyone who's tried it - 

    How does it affect the texture of the baked goods?  Does the additional protein bring back any of the chewiness and sturdiness associated with regular bread?

    Share this comment

    Link to comment
    Share on other sites


    Join the conversation

    You are posting as a guest. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.
    Note: Your post will require moderator approval before it will be visible.

    Guest
    Add a comment...

    ×   Pasted as rich text.   Restore formatting

      Only 75 emoji are allowed.

    ×   Your link has been automatically embedded.   Display as a link instead

    ×   Your previous content has been restored.   Clear editor

    ×   You cannot paste images directly. Upload or insert images from URL.

    ×

  • Join eNewsletter

  • About Me

    Jefferson Adams

    Jefferson Adams is Celiac.com's senior writer and Digital Content Director. He earned his B.A. and M.F.A. at Arizona State University, and has authored more than 2,500 articles on celiac disease. His coursework includes studies in science, scientific methodology, biology, anatomy, medicine, logic, and advanced research. He previously served as SF Health News Examiner for Examiner.com, and devised health and medical content for Sharecare.com. Jefferson has spoken about celiac disease to the media, including an appearance on the KQED radio show Forum, and is the editor of the book "Cereal Killers" by Scott Adams and Ron Hoggan, Ed.D.

  • Celiac.com Sponsor (A17):
    Celiac.com Sponsor (A17):



    Celiac.com Sponsors (A17-m):



  • Related Articles

    Scott Adams
    Nahrung. 2003 Oct;47(5):345-8.
    Celiac.com 01/14/04 – German researchers have developed a new test to determine the level of gliadin, the portion of gluten that is toxic to celiac patients, in foods. This new technique is called immunopolymerase chain reaction (iPCR), and it utilizes immunological detection of gliadin by a monoclonal antibody R5 conjugated when an oligonucleotide is amplified by PCR. The technique yields a "30-fold above the level reached by enzyme immunoassay" in laboratory tests, and it detects concentrations in food "as low as 0.16 ng/ml corresponding to 16 microgram gliadin/100 g food or 0.16 ppm (corresponding to 0.25 g...
    Jen Cafferty
    Celiac.com 05/29/2009 - Quinoa is making a comeback as a "wonder grain." Before going gluten free, most people have never heard of quinoa. But, once you embrace the gluten-free lifestyle, you should learn more about this amazing grain.
    Quinoa is an ancient grain that has been grown in South America for thousands of years and was called the "gold of the Incas." The grain resembles millet and has a bitter protective saponin coating that protects the grain from being eaten by birds and insects.
    Today, many companies that sell quinoa in the United States remove the bitter saponins. This allows you to prepare the quinoa without having to rinse...
    Jefferson Adams
    Celiac.com 07/31/2013 - People with celiac disease react to specific proteins in wheat, and a team of scientists from Washington State University are attempting to develop new varieties of wheat that suppress those proteins and are safe for those with celiac disease.
    Currently, they can silence nearly 90 percent of the protein that causes a gluten reaction. They hope their research efforts will lead them to a strain that suppress 100% of the proteins that trigger gluten reactions.
    Since people with celiac disease react to specific proteins in wheat, the simple solution is to eliminate those proteins to develop an allergy-free wheat.
    According...
    Jefferson Adams
    Celiac.com 02/26/2014 - Quinoa is a highly nutritious plant from the South America that is often recommended by doctors as part of a gluten-free diet. However, some laboratory data suggests that quinoa prolamins can trigger innate and adaptive immune responses in celiac patients, and thus might not be safe for celiacs to eat.
    To better examine this issue, a team of researchers set out to evaluate the real-life effects of quinoa consumption in adult patients with celiac disease. The research team included Alberto Caminero, Alexandra R. Herrán, Esther Nistal, Jenifer Pérez-Andrés, Luis Vaquero, Santiago Vivas, José María G. Ruiz de Morales, Silvia M. A...