In Mexico, there is a species of ant that can sell for thousands of pesos per kilogram thanks to its high protein content. This ant is native to the southeast of our country and is considered a gourmet product. These insects can be cooked in different ways, such as in sauces, moles or sea bream, and their origin dates back to pre-Hispanic times.
According to research from the Universidad Veracruzana (UV), contains high protein and amino acid values, and some of the people who have tried this insect, They mention that it tastes like chocolate, others like pork rinds, and some like peanuts.
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What is the species of ant that is worth thousands of pesos?
The species of ant, which costs thousands of pesos, is the chicatana ant, given that For each kilogram, it can cost up to a thousand pesos or more. According to the UV researcher, Guiomar Melgar-Lalanne, mentions that This ant has a very good amount of protein and it is of good quality, it can be comparable to beef, with one advantage: it has a lot of fiber.
When the rainy season begins, this ant emerges from the ground for very short periods, time when residents collect them and then hundreds of them appear for sale, submerged in buckets in public markets and on the streets of cities in the states of Oaxaca, Chiapas, Veracruz and, to a lesser extent, Puebla, Hidalgo and the State of Mexico.
The researchers They identified 2,247 proteins in the abdomen and the edible part. Besides, They found high levels of peptides, molecules that have antibacterial properties, which can act as hormones, exert growth factors and serve as antioxidants.
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