The increased frequency of extreme climate-induced natural disasters (floods, cyclones, mud slides, heat waves, droughts), attributed to climate change, is causing stress to already vulnerable livelihoods by affecting both tangible and intangible cultural heritage (ICH) assets. There are limited studies that have established how the climate-induced disasters have impacted the ICH elements of food. As such, there is need to first establish the ICH elements or components of food and then how these ICH elements of food are being affected by climate change-induced disasters. This review was therefore aimed at identifying based on the literature the different ICH elements of food and how these can be affected by climate-induced disasters such as floods, cyclones, and droughts. This review paper shows that food is not only considered an ICH because of it being specific to a territory or ethnic group, but there are several dimensions or elements of food that makes it qualify as an ICH, which we grouped into six categories or domains. These domains of food as ICH are (i) food traditions and customs, (ii) food production, processing, and storage, (iii) dietary culture, (iv) eating and social practices, (v) culinary, and (vi) geographical indications. These ICH domains of food as ICH we created them based on the similarity of the different characteristics of the ICH elements are identified in the literature. This new insight is useful in assessing the impact of climate-induced natural disasters on intangible cultural heritage in food systems. More so, the identified categories of ICH elements of food can be viewed as constructs in a framework that can be used to assess the impact of climate-induced disasters on intangible cultural heritage in food systems and the ultimate impact on nutrition outcomes. Further research can be directed toward the development of a framework or tool to enable the assessment of the impact of climate-induced natural disasters on intangible cultural heritage in food systems.

Eulepida mashona Arrow (Coleoptera: Scarabaeidae) is widely consumed in rural and farming communities ofZimbabwe. Preparation methods before consumption for these insects are variable and have not been documented. Our study hypothesised that cooking for different durations result in different nutritional and bioactive compoundscomposition in insects and significant losses of beneficial bioactive compounds. Representative samples derivedfrom standard insect sampling procedures were collected from natural occurrences in Mashonaland West Province, Zimbabwe. Proximate composition and bioactive component analyses were conducted following standard proceduresusing dried pulverised material from whole insects. There were no significant differences in proximate componentsbetween dried uncooked and cooked insects. Both insect samples prepared differently showed high crude protein and fibre contents of 62.4 and 25.4%, respectively, on dry matter basis; values which were higher than those of mostsimilarly handled edible insects in southern Africa. In dried uncooked insects flavonoids occurred in quantitiesof 0.024 mg/g. Relative to other compounds tested, saponins and oxalates occurred in higher quantities, that is, 196 and 28 mg/g, respectively, on dry matter basis. These two components were reduced by factors of 12 and 1.4, respectively, when insects were cooked for 30 minutes and dried. Cyanogen glycosides content was reduced three fold (from 1.4 to 0.43 μg/g) when insects were cooked for 30 minutes. However, safety concerns of hydrogen cyanideexposure exist, also in cases where smaller quantities (<50 g dry weight) of insects are consumed. Studies are neededon adequate processing to reduce risk of toxicity from cyanogen compounds. In general, cooking insects for 30minutes resulted in significant reduction of potentially harmful bioactive compounds namely: alkaloids, cyanogen glycosides, oxalates, tannins and saponins. There is high potential for exploitation ofE. mashona as an additional commercial source of protein and fibre if consumer safety concerns are addressed.

SUMMARY: The consumption of insects “entomophagy” or insect‐based foods is increasingly being recognised as an emerging solution to promote diet diversification and address the multiple burden of malnutrition. Although several studies suggest edible insects as valuable nutrient sources, few have evaluated the effects of processing on nutrient bioavailability and bioaccessibility and provided actual evidence on human nutrition. Moreover, there is limited evidence of their actual contribution to improved food and nutrition security. Therefore, the review evaluated existing evidence on human interventions and the effects of processing methods on bioavailability and bioaccessibility of key nutrients since these directly influence food and nutrition security outcomes. Seven human efficacy studies have been conducted to date and these show limited observable effects on nutrition status therefore more research is required. Findings also suggest that the processing method, insect matrix, composition of the food matrix and interaction with other food components can influence nutrient bioavailability and bioaccessibility. Hence, these should be considered during formulation and upscaling for entomophagy and insect‐based foods to be viable intervention strategies against malnutrition.