We have recently published two publications in Journal of Insects as food and feed on the effects of removing feed prior to harvest. The analyses show that starvation is not an effective method for reducing microbial loads in edible crickets (microbial load has impact on food safety) and that starvation for 24 h decreased fat content, indicating potential production losses. We also observed changes in the behaviour of the crickets. We conclude that, in the absence of a microbial lowering effect of fasting and considering the finding that fasting induces behavioural responses in crickets, there is currently no scientific support for using fasting in cricket production.
https://doi.org/10.3920/JIFF2021.0053
https://doi.org/10.3920/JIFF2020.0157