Crickets have been promoted as a possible animal protein source in child feeding by enriching porridge with cricket powder due to its nutritional contribution and affordability. The aim of this study was to develop a nutrient-dense cereal- cricket porridge suitable for school feeding programmes in Kenya and determine its safety and acceptability in comparison to cereal and cereal-milk porridges. Porridge flours containing maize and millet (MM), maize, millet and milk powder (M10) or maize, millet and cricket powder (C5) were processed by extrusion cooking based on nutritional requirements of children aged 3–5 years. Microbial and aflatoxin safety was determined using standard methods. Caregivers ( n = 73) evaluated the sensory attributes of the porridges using a seven-point hedonic scale while consumer acceptability by children ( n = 138) was evaluated in a randomized parallel intervention study over four weeks. The children were served 300 ml of either MM, M10 or C5 porridge during school days for four weeks. Daily porridge consumption quantities were taken with consumption of >75% of the porridge being rated highly acceptable, 50–75% moderately acceptable and < 50% least acceptable. The results showed that the developed porridge flours contributed essential macro- and micronutrients for 3–5 years old children. They were safe for human consumption with all assessed microbes being below the acceptable limits and no aflatoxins detected. M10 porridge had the most preferred colour (6.4) and taste (5.5) by the caregivers. Overall, the caregivers preferred M10 and MM, however, all the porridges including C5 registered overall acceptability scores of ≥5 (Liked very much). Among the children, acceptability of the different types of porridge increased from week 1 to 4. Based on the proportion of children who consumed >75% of the serving, acceptance of MM increased from 98% in week 1 to 100% in week 4, M10 increased from 91% to 100% while C5 increased from 55% to 70% over the same period. Only 5% of the children recorded <50% acceptance of C5 porridge in the fourth week compared to 15% at week 1. The study shows that crickets can be used to develop nutritious, porridge with considerable acceptability compared to conventionally consumed porridges. The study also shows that children can develop a liking for the less familiar food with continued exposure over time.

中文翻译：

---

肯尼亚 Uasin Gishu 的看护人和托儿所儿童对麦片蟋蟀粥与麦片粥和麦片牛奶粥的接受程度

由于蟋蟀粉的营养贡献和可负担性，蟋蟀已通过在粥中添加蟋蟀粉而被宣传为儿童喂养中可能的动物蛋白来源。本研究的目的是开发一种适合肯尼亚学校供餐计划的营养丰富的谷物蟋蟀粥，并确定其与谷物和谷物牛奶粥相比的安全性和可接受性。根据 3-5 岁儿童的营养需求，采用挤压蒸煮法加工含有玉米和小米（MM）、玉米、小米和奶粉（M10）或玉米、小米和蟋蟀粉（C5）的粥粉。使用标准方法确定微生物和黄曲霉毒素的安全性。护理人员 (n = 73) 使用七点享乐量表评估了粥的感官属性，而儿童 (n = 138) 的消费者接受度则在为期 4 周的随机平行干预研究中进行评估。在为期四个星期的上学期间，孩子们接受了 300 毫升的 MM、M10 或 C5 粥。每天的粥消耗量被认为是超过 75% 的粥被评为高度可接受，50-75% 中等可接受和 < 50% 最不可接受。结果表明，开发的粥粉为 3-5 岁儿童提供必需的宏量和微量营养素。它们对人类食用是安全的，所有评估的微生物都低于可接受的限度，并且没有检测到黄曲霉毒素。M10 粥的颜色 (6.4) 和味道 (5.5) 是护理人员最喜欢的。总体而言，看护者更喜欢 M10 和 MM，然而，包括 C5 在内的所有粥的总体可接受性评分均≥5（非常喜欢）。在儿童中，对不同类型粥的接受度从第 1 周增加到第 4 周。基于消耗>75% 份量的儿童比例，MM 的接受度从第 1 周的 98% 增加到第 4 周的 100%，同期，M10 从 91% 增加到 100%，而 C5 从 55% 增加到 70%。只有 5% 的儿童在第四周对 C5 粥的接受度低于 50%，而在第 1 周时这一比例为 15%。该研究表明，与常规食用的粥相比，蟋蟀可以用来制作营养丰富的粥，具有相当大的接受度。该研究还表明，随着时间的推移，孩子们会逐渐喜欢不太熟悉的食物。