Oral Toxicity Study and Skin Sensitization Test of a Cricket.
Crickets have been attracting considerable interest in the field of nutrition and toxicology due to the global exhaustion of food resulting from a growing population. The cricket is normally eaten in several countries after roasting, similar to the grasshopper; however, safety evaluation data on cricket powder is limited. Here, we performed general toxicity studies of cricket powder including a single, 2-week repeated dose range evaluation test, a 13-week repeated oral dose toxicity test in Sprague-Dawley rats, a single oral dose toxicity test in Beagle dogs, and a skin sensitization test in guinea pigs following the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development test guidelines 406 and 408 in addition to Good Laboratory Practice. To investigate the NOAEL and target organs of cricket powder, Sprague-Dawley rats were allocated to 4 groups: vehicle control, 1,250 mg/kg, 2,500 mg/kg, 5,000 mg/kg dose test groups and cricket powder was administered over 13 weeks after single dose and dose range finding studies in rats based on the results of the single oral administration toxicity study in rats and Beagle dogs. The results of the study showed that the NOAEL of cricket powder was over 5,000 mg/kg for both sexes of rats without adverse effects in a 13-week repeated oral toxicity study and there was no skin hypersensitivity reaction. Therefore, our results reveal that crickets can be widely used as a new substitute food or nutrient resource.
Toxicity Evaluation Center, Korea Conformity Laboratories (KCL), Incheon, Korea.
Hyeon Yeol
HY
Ryu
Toxicity Evaluation Center, Korea Conformity Laboratories (KCL), Incheon, Korea; Laboratory of Toxicology, College of Veterinary Medicine, Seoul National University, Seoul, Korea.
Somin
S
Lee
Toxicity Evaluation Center, Korea Conformity Laboratories (KCL), Incheon, Korea.
Kyu Sup
KS
Ahn
Toxicity Evaluation Center, Korea Conformity Laboratories (KCL), Incheon, Korea.
Hye Jin
HJ
Kim
Toxicity Evaluation Center, Korea Conformity Laboratories (KCL), Incheon, Korea.
Sang Sik
SS
Lee
Toxicity Evaluation Center, Korea Conformity Laboratories (KCL), Incheon, Korea.
Hyuk Ju
HJ
Ko
Toxicity Evaluation Center, Korea Conformity Laboratories (KCL), Incheon, Korea.
Jin Kyu
JK
Lee
Laboratory of Toxicology, College of Veterinary Medicine, Seoul National University, Seoul, Korea.
Myung-Haing
MH
Cho
Department of Agricultural Biology, National Academy of Agricultural Science (RDA), Wanju, Korea.
Mi Young
MY
Ahn
Korea Food Research Institute, Seongnam, Korea.
Eun Mi
EM
Kim
Korea Food Research Institute, Seongnam, Korea.
Jeong Ho
JH
Lim
Toxicity Evaluation Center, Korea Conformity Laboratories (KCL), Incheon, Korea.
Kyung Seuk
KS
Song
Cricket; Gryllus bimaculatus; NOAEL; Oral dose toxicity; Skin sensitization