User:Abbykadabby 22/sandbox

Article Selection
Argument about the future topics

Life Without Livestock:
In the future, it is predicted the amount of livestock will decrease. The decrease is caused by ample amounts of evidence such as climate change, ethics, and lost acreage. I could discuss what life would be like without live stock. For example, when we completely stop using livestock where will they go? Will we have live museums of different livestock types for conservation as well as education purposes? The main idea I am aiming for is to find out if losing livestock will truly impact society.

Here are a few stub articles of different livestock breeds: Australian Brangus (cattle); Rhode Island White (poultry); Peacock goat (goat); American Blackbelly sheep (sheep); Poland China (swine)

A New Source of Protein
Current ethical concerns have pushed the usage of livestock away. People are consuming less meat which is a valuable source of protein in diets. Some new resources people are using are plants and insects.

Something notable to discuss is the usage of insects. These are animals, like livestock, what makes it better for them to be used as food? Also, would people be too grossed out to consume insects in their everyday diets.

Another discussion can be the struggle to produce many crops. Land is steadily decreasing, and there are very minimal places with efficient enough soil to plant crops. Will this cause a decrease in plant production and consumption which later returns livestock as a source of protein?

Here are a few articles of different protein replacements: Cricket flour, Ant eggs

Cricket flour: Article Evaluation
This article is very informal, but it is seen more as an advertisement. This article lacks a neutral point of view, and could use some more additional information. For example, it could include how it is made and how much it costs. Also, a section containing the uses of cricket flour can help complete the article.

In the "Sustainability and Food Security" section there are a lot of subjective contexts. This diction and syntax structure should be redirected to maintain a neutral point of view.

Overall, this article is a stub and on the verge of being considered advertisement. With further research, and change in wording the article can improve and remain on Wikipedia.

Article Sources:

 * https://www.npr.org/sections/thesalt/2014/08/15/340653853/startups-pitch-cricket-flour-as-the-best-protein-you-could-eat
 * This article shares the nutritional benefits of cricket flour
 * https://www.cricketflours.com/cricket-flour-recipes/
 * This article gives different recipes and uses for cricket flour
 * https://www.farmersalmanac.com/what-is-cricket-flour-27450
 * This article informs how cricket flour is made, and also gives benefits

Nutritional Information:
Cricket flour contains nutrients such as nine amino acids, calcium, iron, potassium, vitamin B12, B2, and fatty acids. Some amino acids common in insects are Lysine and Tryptophan.

Sustainability:
Insects are sustainable and environmentally friendly because they grow and reproduce rapidly with little maintenance required.

Insect food production requirements are based on the 'feed conversion efficiency', this measures the amount of food needed to produce for an increase in weight. Insects, like crickets, require about 1.7 kg of feed to increase weight and it takes 3100 L of water to produce 1kg of edible cricket protein. This is because crickets are cold blooded and rely on their environment to control metabolic processes rather than food (e.g. body temperature).

Insects are beneficial for the ecosystem. They release less greenhouse emission which is toxic for the environment.

Insects are more edible. To date, one study has examined the water footprint, taking into account the entire production system, of commercially produced insects. This data showed insects are considered to be 80‐100% edible.[6]

Food Security and Processing:
There have not been many major health problems reported from the consumption of cricket flour. Although, there are many food safety persuasions taken due to the insects feed intake. Insects feed on manure and organic waste. This raises concerns for microbial and toxicity safety. Many countries do not have set policies or regulations to insect farming, so it is unknown what the insect consumed. For example, some may be impacted by pesticides or infected waste.

Processing can be done either commercially or locally depending on the popularity in a particular region. The process begins with removing the insides of the insect (optional). Then, they are shipped to become preserved or freeze dried. This is done buy using hessian or polypropylene. After, they are completely preserved/dried they are shipped for storage. Insects can be refrigerated or processed into powders.

Cricket flour is made with freeze dried crickets. Then, the crickets are baked to make the processing easier. After they are baked, they are grounded into very fine pieces. The freezing, baking, and drying makes a dark brown powdery texture.

Cost:
Prices will vary depending on location, but the average cost of pre-made cricket flour is around $40 per pound (4,200 to 4,800 crickets). The price is high due to limited commercializing and processors. Cricket flour is sold in limited areas, but mainly online and wholesale stores.

The average prices for frozen crickets are about $9 per pound. These can be utilized in personally making cricket flour.

Uses for cricket flour:
There are many ways people can input cricket flour into their diet. Some include:


 * smoothies
 * cookies
 * bread
 * nachos

Cricket flour can be utilized as a complete replacement for flour. The taste is very nutty, and cooking quality may change.

Allergies:
People with shellfish allergies may need to use caution when consuming cricket flour. Crickets are considered crustaceans because their exoskeleton is made up of chitin. Also, there is a risk of pathogens with consuming raw insects.