The use of fruit fly infested mamey fruit as human food

Abstract

The fruits of mamey, Calocarpum mammosum L., are often infested by the Anastrepha ludens L. fruit fly. The wasted fruits cause huge economic losses. The aim of this study was to investigate the nutritional value of mamey fruits when infested with larvae, and to propose their consumption. Mamey fruits were collected with and without the larvae in the city of Coatlán del Río, in Morelos, Mexico. A proximal nutrient analysis of the mamey pulp and A. ludens larvae were conducted. The organoleptic properties of ice cream from the mamey fruits with and without the larvae were tasted by a panel. The results obtained showed that the presence of larvae in the mamey fruits increases their nutritional value and the organoleptic study showed no difference between the clean and the infested products.