The knowledge, perception, and acceptability of insects as food among the East Coast Malaysians
Insects have gained attention as a sustainable protein source, yet entomophagy remains relatively unpopular, particularly in modern societies like Malaysia. This study evaluates the knowledge, acceptability, and perceptions of insect consumption among residents of the East Coast of Malaysia (ECM). A...
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| Language: | en |
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Penerbit Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia
2025
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| Online Access: | http://journalarticle.ukm.my/26583/1/S_2.pdf http://journalarticle.ukm.my/26583/ https://ejournal.ukm.my/serangga/issue/view/1847 |
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| author | Nur Zulaikha Kamaruzaman, Tan, Yi-Li Nurul Hanisah Juhari, Abd Rahim Muhamad Hafiz, Mohammad Rashedi Ismail-Fitry, |
| author_facet | Nur Zulaikha Kamaruzaman, Tan, Yi-Li Nurul Hanisah Juhari, Abd Rahim Muhamad Hafiz, Mohammad Rashedi Ismail-Fitry, |
| author_sort | Nur Zulaikha Kamaruzaman, |
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| content_provider | Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia |
| content_source | UKM Journal Article Repository |
| continent | Asia |
| country | Malaysia |
| description | Insects have gained attention as a sustainable protein source, yet entomophagy remains relatively unpopular, particularly in modern societies like Malaysia. This study evaluates the knowledge, acceptability, and perceptions of insect consumption among residents of the East Coast of Malaysia (ECM). A structured survey was administered to 201 respondents, gathering data on socio-demographic factors, knowledge, perceptions, and acceptability of insects as food. Descriptive statistics, cross-tabulation, correlation, and regression analysis were conducted using IBM SPSS Statistical version 26. A majority of respondents (74.6%) demonstrated moderate knowledge about insect consumption; however, 60.7% of respondents held negative perceptions, and 79.6% showed low acceptability, with significant sociodemographic differences by ethnicity, education, income, gender, and age. A positive relationship was found between knowledge, perceptions, and willingness to consume insect-containing foods (ICF), with statistical data confirming knowledge, acceptability, and perception as significant predictors of ICF willingness (P<0.05). The findings highlight the need for public education to improve perceptions and increase consumer acceptance of insects as a viable protein source. Addressing safety and halal compliance concerns is essential to foster greater acceptance. Future research should expand the sample size and data collection period to explore the commercialisation potential of insects as food in Malaysia. |
| format | Article |
| id | my-ukm.journal.26583 |
| institution | Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia |
| language | en |
| publishDate | 2025 |
| publisher | Penerbit Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia |
| record_format | eprints |
| spelling | my-ukm.journal.265832026-02-25T02:22:15Z http://journalarticle.ukm.my/26583/ The knowledge, perception, and acceptability of insects as food among the East Coast Malaysians Nur Zulaikha Kamaruzaman, Tan, Yi-Li Nurul Hanisah Juhari, Abd Rahim Muhamad Hafiz, Mohammad Rashedi Ismail-Fitry, Insects have gained attention as a sustainable protein source, yet entomophagy remains relatively unpopular, particularly in modern societies like Malaysia. This study evaluates the knowledge, acceptability, and perceptions of insect consumption among residents of the East Coast of Malaysia (ECM). A structured survey was administered to 201 respondents, gathering data on socio-demographic factors, knowledge, perceptions, and acceptability of insects as food. Descriptive statistics, cross-tabulation, correlation, and regression analysis were conducted using IBM SPSS Statistical version 26. A majority of respondents (74.6%) demonstrated moderate knowledge about insect consumption; however, 60.7% of respondents held negative perceptions, and 79.6% showed low acceptability, with significant sociodemographic differences by ethnicity, education, income, gender, and age. A positive relationship was found between knowledge, perceptions, and willingness to consume insect-containing foods (ICF), with statistical data confirming knowledge, acceptability, and perception as significant predictors of ICF willingness (P<0.05). The findings highlight the need for public education to improve perceptions and increase consumer acceptance of insects as a viable protein source. Addressing safety and halal compliance concerns is essential to foster greater acceptance. Future research should expand the sample size and data collection period to explore the commercialisation potential of insects as food in Malaysia. Penerbit Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia 2025 Article PeerReviewed application/pdf en http://journalarticle.ukm.my/26583/1/S_2.pdf Nur Zulaikha Kamaruzaman, and Tan, Yi-Li and Nurul Hanisah Juhari, and Abd Rahim Muhamad Hafiz, and Mohammad Rashedi Ismail-Fitry, (2025) The knowledge, perception, and acceptability of insects as food among the East Coast Malaysians. Serangga, 30 (2). pp. 12-31. ISSN 1394-5130 https://ejournal.ukm.my/serangga/issue/view/1847 |
| spellingShingle | Nur Zulaikha Kamaruzaman, Tan, Yi-Li Nurul Hanisah Juhari, Abd Rahim Muhamad Hafiz, Mohammad Rashedi Ismail-Fitry, The knowledge, perception, and acceptability of insects as food among the East Coast Malaysians |
| title | The knowledge, perception, and acceptability of insects as food among the East Coast Malaysians |
| title_full | The knowledge, perception, and acceptability of insects as food among the East Coast Malaysians |
| title_fullStr | The knowledge, perception, and acceptability of insects as food among the East Coast Malaysians |
| title_full_unstemmed | The knowledge, perception, and acceptability of insects as food among the East Coast Malaysians |
| title_short | The knowledge, perception, and acceptability of insects as food among the East Coast Malaysians |
| title_sort | knowledge, perception, and acceptability of insects as food among the east coast malaysians |
| url | http://journalarticle.ukm.my/26583/1/S_2.pdf http://journalarticle.ukm.my/26583/ https://ejournal.ukm.my/serangga/issue/view/1847 |
| url_provider | http://journalarticle.ukm.my/ |