Would you eat a muffin made of earthworms?
Earthworms might be one of the last things you'd want to see on your dinner plate, but they could be the alternative protein source of the future says food science researcher Ilga Gedrovica from Latvia.
(SOUNDBITE) (Latvian) FOOD SCIENCE RESEARCHER AT LATVIAN AGRICULTURAL UNIVERSITY, ILGA GEDROVICA, SAYING:
"I've tried baking bread, making pasta and foods with an extruder, and baking muffins. The indicators here are very, very good and they look safe."
Gedrovica began to look into their potential as a postgraduate after she spotted them while weeding her garden.
Earthworms are rich in protein and Gedrovica says they could possess even more potential than regular meat.
(SOUNDBITE) (Latvian) FOOD SCIENCE RESEARCHER AT LATVIAN AGRICULTURAL UNIVERSITY, ILGA GEDROVICA, SAYING:
"If we look at the nutrient quality, earthworms are rich in protein. In fact, when they are fresh they are equivalent to the meat we are using, but when dried, they are three times as rich in protein as meat and other sources."
They're cheap and low-carbon to produce, too.
The resources needed to grow earthworms, compared to raising animals, is much smaller, meaning they have a smaller environmental impact.
But what about safety?
Gedrovica is experimenting with using dried and powdered earthworms as a supplement, but she cautioned that more research is needed to make it safe.
(SOUNDBITE) (Latvian) FOOD SCIENCE RESEARCHER AT LATVIAN AGRICULTURAL UNIVERSITY, ILGA GEDROVICA, SAYING:
"These are issues related to microbiology, parasitology and interactions with other ingredients. They're not answered right now and are in the process of being researched."
Although insects are commonly eaten in other parts of the world, they are rare on European menus and supermarket shelves.
There is extra red tape surrounding 'novel foods' - defined as anything that wasn't commonly eaten in Europe before the late 1990s.
EU regulation requires producers to seek special permission before they can market and sell their products.
But that doesn't deter Gedrovica, who is confident that earthworms could become a kitchen staple.
