A team of students from Cornell University has developed a tofu made of 100 percent mealworms that it hopes could become a meat substitute for beef, lamb or chicken.
Study leader Lee Cadesky worked with his colleagues for the development of the mealworm tofu, dubbed as "C-fu," for six months. They drew inspiration from the Japanese "surimi," a food ingredient made from fish or other meat. The team wondered if the same technique used to create surimi can also be applied using insects.
The team first experimented on crickets, where C-fu got its name ("C" for crickets and "fu" for tofu), but the end product tasted awful. It then switched to super worms and the taste was worse. Finally, the researchers got the acceptable taste after using mealworms which they ordered live from Rainbow Mealworms, a pet supply company based in Southern California.
The students had a public tasting event at Mann Library on Thursday where they prepared thousands of cubes. Those who dared try the dish answered a survey to rate the taste of C-fu.
C-fu is a healthy meat substitute as it contains protein, fat, iron, omega-3 and omega-6 fatty acids. It is also versatile and can be used to make burger patties and other meals including cream cheese or ice cream.
"We've all eaten a lot of the product," Cadesky told Mirror Online. "We taste every batch and don't serve anything that we don't think is worth eating."
The C-fu team is now on its way to Portugal to compete in the "Thought for Food Challenge," a movement dedicated to tackling the global challenge of feeding 9 billion people through innovative solutions. The winner of the event will be awarded $10,000.