Pseudocereali e insetti delle derrate

PSEUDO-CEREALS AND FOODSTUFF INSECTS Among plants which can be used in human nutrition, the so-called pseudocereals are gaining in popularity due to their high nutritional value and other properties. The grains of these plants can be consumed as such or transformed into flour to obtain bread, pasta or other derivatives, in the place of traditional cereals or added to them. Quinoa (Chenopodium quinoa Willdenow), amaranth (Amaranthus spp.), and buckwheat (Fagopyrum esculentum Moench), as well as chia (Salvia hispanica L.), which is an oily seed, are plants originating in continents such as Asia and Latin America and until recently unknown to most people; they represent an interesting topic of research from the agronomic point of view and find an increasing diffusion in our agribusiness sector. Their cultivation is increasing in various European countries, including Italy, and - like other crops - they are susceptible to attack by pests after harvest. As for all other foodstuffs, the hygiene and protection of these "new" foods from attack and pollution, even if only temporary, cannot be neglected or ignored. Our laboratory research has investigated the susceptibility of pseudocereals and chia to attack by some common foodstuff beetles and moths known for their more or less marked polyphagy: Rhyzopertha dominica (F.) (Col. Bostrichidae), Sitophilus granarius (L.) (Col. Dryophthoridae), Tenebrio molitor L. (Col. Tenebrionidae) and Plodia interpunctella (Hübner) (Lep. Pyralidae). Results revealed significant differences in the timescale and means of infestation and larval development: S. granarius and R. dominica grew only on buckwheat, while on chia, amaranth and quinoa no signs of infestation were ever observed; P. interpunctella grew on all seeds except amaranth, with high larval trophic activity and damage, but most larvae died between 60 and 90 days after the beginning of the infestation. Similarly, T. molitor larvae in trophic activity were observed on all the grains, but they never fully developed and drastically decreased during the test. Investigations into palatability and the dynamics of infestation during the storage phase of pseudocereals in optimal conditions for insects are a first step to further knowledge on the conservation of these new foodstuffs and the risks of contamination to which they are subject.