Insetos na alimentação humana: percepção e experiências de alunos do ensino médio, Areia – PB.

Abstract

Anthropoentomophagy is the human practice of feeding on insects and their products and currently as well accepted as rejected, depending on the region of the planet. The objective of this research was to analyze the perceptions and experiences of high school students about the use of insects in food. Anthropoentomophagy has been suggested by the UN as an option to solve world hunger, as it requires few resources and time of production. Analyzing the perceptions and experiences of students at this school was opportune because it covered students who live in urban and rural areas, thus allowing a greater reach of the research. The

bibliography used consisted of printed and virtual material, this being research of quali- quantitative approach of exploratory and descriptive nature. 128 semi-structured questionnaires

were collected and the answers were analyzed through descriptive statistical analysis, through percentage data, tables, and graphs. Almost all students knew anthropoentomophagy, and most already practiced it, with a predominance of tanajura as the most consumed insect, especially in farofa. Most of those who responded positively reported the taste as the main reason why they liked the insects, while most of those who responded negatively said they felt disgusted. Overall, most students reacted negatively to an alleged daily practice of the anthropoentomophagy. More than half revealed that they didn’t receive insects to eat from their parents. The culture of anthropoentomophagy is very rich and present in the city, although there’s a significant loss in the transmission of this behavior.