Study: Insect butter can be the new healthy substitute to your regular butter

Butter is one of those condiments from the food world that has become a part of our daily food routine. Whether layered on top of a piping hot aloo paratha or sandwiched between two simple slices of English muffin, butter has been enhancing our food experiences over time. Honestly, it has become nearly impossible to imagine our bowl of meals without adding a heaping tablespoon of butter. While there are other varieties of butter now available in the market, it still lacks the smooth and rich taste of the cow butter. Amid this situation, a study conducted by a group of scientists at the Ghent University of Belgium experimented to prepare waffles, cookies, and cakes using a unique substitute for regular butter. This unique fat was made out of the larva of insects.

The study included larvae extracted from a black soldier fly. The process of making butter began with soaking the larvae batch in a bowl of water and later it was blended till smooth. The butter was later obtained from the paste using a kitchen centrifuge.

The result concluded that the larva butter was not close to the plain butter in texture, but was more sustainable than the traditional one made from dairy.

However, from the consumer’s perspective each baked item tasted a little off or funky than the traditional one. But the insect butter looked so similar that one could mistake it for the dairy version.

Insect-based foods have been around for quite a sometime. It has always been proven protein-rich and contains vitamins at the same time. Usually, this kind of food is high in essential fibres as well. It can be a great alternative to animal-based food for a cruelty-free diet. Similarly, this butter is also being seen as a cheap and healthy alternative to everyday butter. Are you adventurous enough to try this out?