Unité de Recherche en Aquaculture et Biodiversité Aquatique, Laboratoire d’Etude et de Recherche sur les Ressources Naturelles et Sciences de l’Environnement (UR-ABAQ, LERNSE), Université Polytechnique de Bobo-Dioulasso, 01 BP 1091 Bobo-Dioulasso 01, Burkina Faso
The caterpillar of Cirina butyrospermi represents a food source in southwestern of Burkina Faso. The proximate composition, minerals, amino acids and fatty acids of this insect were investigated. The results showed that Cirina butyrospermi caterpillars contained high protein (62.74%) and moderated lipid (14.34%) contents. The low percentages of ash and chitin (around 5%) were observed for this caterpillar. Minerals were mainly represented by potassium (1160 mg/100g), and iron (12.97 mg/100g) was the predominant trace element. 47.64% of the total amino acids in C. butyrospermi were essential amino acids. Linolenic acid (35.82%) and stearic acid (35.40%) were the most abundant fatty acids. Based in nutritional value, the caterpillar of Cirina butyrospermi is a potential source of protein, fat and minerals for human and animal feeding.