Care for a Silkworm With Your Tang? -- Choi 2009 (113): 2 -- ScienceNOW

[dracodraconis]

Care for a Silkworm With Your Tang? -- Choi 2009 (113): 2 -- ScienceNOW

Several weeks ago, Science magazine reported that silkworms (shown here) are being recommended as the astronaut food of the future. The pupae are mostly protein, they breed quickly and generate little waste, and contain much more essential amino acids than pork, milk or eggs. Even the silk that they produce can be made edible through a chemical process to provide additional nutrients. The scientists estimate that each astronaut would need to consume up to 170 silkworm pupae per day to meet their minimum protein intake requirements.