Edible Insects in Food Analogues

Edible insects have gained popularity due to their important nutritional content, mainly due to their high protein content, which could be equivalent to foods derived from birds or mammals. However, edible insects, unlike other sources of protein, offer sustainable food production, proposing them as the food of the future used to produce similar foods with adequate functional properties, low cost, and acceptable sensory attributes. Therefore, this chapter lists the main edible insects, their nutritional properties, and main benefits, as well as the challenges represented by their transformation into an ingredient while maintaining their main nutritional properties, as well as their potential application in the production of similar foods, ending with the challenges, problems, and opportunities represented by their incorporation into the current diet.