No abstract

This research aimed at improving the fatty acid (FA) profile of Hermetia illucens larvae (HI) and evaluating the effects of their inclusion in growing broiler quails’ diets on the meat physicochemical quality, including detailed amino acid (AA) and FA profiles, sensory traits, and retail display. HI larvae were reared on two different substrates: layer mash (HI1) and 50:50 layer mash/fish offal (HI2). A total of 300 10-day-old quails were allocated to the three dietary groups (five replicates/each): a soybean meal-based diet was formulated (Control), and two other diets were formulated that included either 10% HI1 or HI2. Quails were fed the experimental diets until slaughter. Diets were formulated to be isonitrogenous and isoenergetic. Breast meat quality was affected by the dietary treatments, which displayed different proximate compositions and AA and FA profiles. Meat physical quality, sensory profile, and retail display remained unaffected for the most part. Overall, results showed that it is possible to improve the FA profile of the HI-fed quails’ meat and thus lipid quality through substrate modulation of the HI’s diet.

This research is aimed at improving the fatty acid profile of Hermetia illucens larvae and evaluating the effect of its inclusion on the apparent nutrient digestibility, feed choice, growth performance and slaughter traits of growing broiler quails (Coturnix coturnix japonica). H. illucens larvae (IM) were reared on two different substrates: layer mash (IM1) and 50:50 layer mash:fish offal (IM2). For the digestibility and feed choice trials, a total of sixty 16-day-old quails were assigned to three dietary groups: commercial diet (Control=C), a diet including 10% IM1 (IM1D), and a diet including 10% IM2 (IM2D). For the growth performance trial, a total of three hundred 10-day-old birds were allocated to the three dietary groups and fed the experimental diets until slaughter. Results of the digestibility trial showed a higher apparent metabolisable energy for larvae fed quail (14.0 and 13.9 MJ/kg DM vs 12.9 MJ/kg DM, (P<0.001). The IM2D quails also showed higher apparent digestibility for dry matter and organic matter. Feed choice results indicated that quails preferred the C diet compared to diets including H. illucens dried larvae. Productive performance, mortality and carcass traits were in line with commercial standards except for the IM2 quails which exhibited lower slaughter weight compared to C and IM1 fed quails. Based on the results of the present study, a 10% dietary inclusion of H. illucens larvae reared on a substrate rich in n-3 fatty acids did not negatively affect the apparent digestibility of nutrients, mortality, nor carcass yield. However, feed choice, growth rate and final carcass weight were negatively influenced by the IM2 diet. This result requires further investigations which should include the addition of an anti-oxidant.