There's huge potential in this space. I worked on a project in college where we examined the viability of using Black Soldier fly larvae as a protein source for animal feed. It's a surprisingly high quality protein and also provides oils that can be processed into biofuels. The larvae can also be further processed to extract chitosan [1], which can sell for $100/kg [2](depending on quality).
Of course, there are many challenges around mass-rearing of insects, especially for human consumption.
Using artificial selection to breed good tasting insects could make insects more palatable, in the same way artificial selection has wildly changed the physiology of other livestock. It's something that will happen inevitably if the industry gains traction, but getting a head start would be interesting.
Long-term, making insects more desirable to consumers could reduce the amount of live stock raised, and indirectly influence emissions and global warming.
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[ 3.6 ms ] story [ 12.1 ms ] threadOf course, there are many challenges around mass-rearing of insects, especially for human consumption.
[1] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chitosan [2] http://www.alibaba.com/showroom/chitosan-price.html
Long-term, making insects more desirable to consumers could reduce the amount of live stock raised, and indirectly influence emissions and global warming.