One of MBA students group at McGill University in Montreal, Canada, won the Hult Prize 2013. And former U.S. president Bill Clinton handed the prize in New York at Monday evening, September 23, 2013. The prize gives the students $1 million in seed money to begin creating the insects flour product what they call 'Power Flour' in Mexico..
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| The Desautels team from left to right: Mohammed Ashour, Zev Thompson, Shobhita Soor, Gabriel Mott and Jesse Pearlstein. (Picture from: http://montreal.ctvnews.ca/) |
The Hult Prize is the world's largest student competition for social issues, such as the food crisis, clean water, energy, and education. McGill University's student group make the research and manufacture of flour made from insects.
"It's a great job. We have an ambitious plan, but could be implemented in the next five years," said team captain, Mohammed Ashour. Ashour and his team, which Shobhita Soor, Jesse Pearlstein, Zev Thompson, and Gabe Mott, will be leaving for Mexico. They recruit farmers and workers to produce the flour. In Mexico is estimated there are about four million people live in slums and suffer from malnutrition. "We may start production of locusts," said Ashour.
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| Students found a unique way to curb the hunger problem in poor countries using flour made by grasshoppers and won Hult Prize 2013. (Picture from: http://www.scienceworldreport.com/) |
The students know that insects become food menu in Mexico. Grasshopper even prized as captured in the traditional way. Local farmers are now showing interest to make the locusts breeding. The Power Flour product will vary ingredients according to those habits, adjusting production to the breeding cycles and nutritional profile of each culture.
During the research, Ashour and his teammates tried a variety of insects and caterpillars. "Shobhita who conduct research in Thailand eat worms and beetles, while vegetarian Mott who consume weevils," Ashour said.
In early 2013, the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) released a report titled, "Edible Insects: Future Prospects for Food and Feed Security." The UN agency said the insects can enter the menu which is useful for health and the environment. Insects and caterpillars are high nutritional content such as grasshoppers, grubs, termites, African bark beetles, black beetle larvae, and Mopane worms. *** [EKA | FROM VARIOUS SOURCES | ABC NEWS | LIVESCIENCE | GABRIEL TITIYOGA | KORAN TEMPO 4362]
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