Multielement Composition Analysis of Cicada as an Edible Insect and Dietary Risk Assessment

Cicadas are a traditional food in China. In this study, we performed multielement analysis on cicadas using Inductively Coupled Plasma-Mass Spectrometry (ICP-MS). In total, 40 cicada samples were collected in Hebei Province (China). Comparing the results of mushroom and vegetable samples selected as the standard foods among the eight food categories, which had the highest correlation with other food categories, there are 12 elements (Al, Mn, Zn, Cu, Cd, Ba, Se, V, As, Li, Pb and Co) in cicadas both higher than mushroom and vegetable samples, which a total of 25 elements were detected. The Principal Component Analysis (PCA), cluster analysis, and correlation analysis were used in the data analysis. HQ (Hazard quotient) value for Cd, As, Pb, and Al is 0.281 in males and is 0.324 in females. Concentrations of essential trace elements (Zn, Cu, and Se) in cicadas ranged from 1.7 to 101.9 times higher than those in mushrooms or vegetables. We analyzed in detail the two perspectives: one is the risk of potentially toxic elements, and the other is the enrichment of essential trace elements. In this study, we reveal that cicadas show a low risk of potentially toxic elements and high concentrations of essential trace elements, making them an edible insect.