Carcass characteristics and meat quality of broilers fed on earthworm (Lumbricus rubellus) meal

Abstract

The aim of the research was to evaluate the carcass characteristics and meat quality from chickens fed on diets in which fish meal was substituted with raw earthworms (Lumbricus rubellus) or earthworm meal. In the trial which lasted 42-days, 100 one-day-old Hybro broilers were divided into the control and three experimental groups. The control group was fed on standard broiler feed, the first (E-I) and the second experimental groups (E-II) were fed a diet in which 50% or 100% of fish meal was substituted with earthworm meal, respectively, whilst the third group (E-III) consumed feed without fish meal, but was given raw chopped earthworms ad libitum from day 1 to day 42. The replacement of fish meal with fresh earthworms resulted in significantly lower carcass weights in the E-III group in comparison with the control group (p<0.05). The differences in drumstick, thigh and breast meat share relative to the carcass mass were not significant (p>0.05). The lowest fat content in thigh and breast meat was in the group in which fish meal was replaced with earthworm meal. The lightness (L*) of thigh and breast meat was highest in the broilers fed fresh earthworms ad libitum. No significant differences in pH value were detected between the experimental groups (p>0.05). The most consumer acceptable were drumstick samples from E-II group and the least acceptable samples from the control group. Earthworm meal may be considered an adequate substitute for fish meal in broiler chickens’ diet since it does not impair the production performance, carcass yield and meat quality.

Insect meal as a feed ingredient for poultry

“…The concentration of CP in EWM ranged from 41% to 66%, and crude fat ranged from 3.5% to 18%. Reported values for CP are 63.06% [ 115 ], 65.68% for ( Eisenia foetida ) [ 116 , 118 ], 7.27% for vermi-humus [ 118 ], 55.87% [ 113 ], 57.85% [ 117 ], and 41.42% [ 114 ], and reported values for crude fat are 18.5% [ 115 ], 16.39% [ 113 ], 9.2% [ 114 ], and 3.5% [ 117 ]. Fresh earthworm (EW; Lumbricus rubellus ) contains 6.89% CP and 2.25% crude fat [ 114 ].…”

“…Reported values for CP are 63.06% [ 115 ], 65.68% for ( Eisenia foetida ) [ 116 , 118 ], 7.27% for vermi-humus [ 118 ], 55.87% [ 113 ], 57.85% [ 117 ], and 41.42% [ 114 ], and reported values for crude fat are 18.5% [ 115 ], 16.39% [ 113 ], 9.2% [ 114 ], and 3.5% [ 117 ]. Fresh earthworm (EW; Lumbricus rubellus ) contains 6.89% CP and 2.25% crude fat [ 114 ]. It is generally believed that the CP content in earthworms is between 50% and 70%, and the crude fat content is less than 20%, and its content is related to the freshness and dryness of the earthworms.…”

“…But the feed supplemented with 3% EWM and 1% vermi-humus can improve the performance of broilers and increase relative weight of immune organs, intestinal length, and intestinal lactic acid bacteria count [ 116 ]. Hybro G female broiler chickens fed on fresh EW ( Lumbricus rubellus ) diet improved the quality of meat for thigh and breast; in addition, diet containing 100% EWM (8% for 1 to 21 d, 5% for 22 to 35 d) as a replacement for fish meal reduced the fat content of breast, and thigh meat, and exhibited the higher acceptability of drumsticks [ 114 ]. Ningdu yellow female broiler chickens fed on diet containing 5% EWM had improved growth performance and antioxidant capacity [ 117 ].…”

Life cycle assessment of composting and utilisation of broiler chicken manure

“…The issue of how to use the increased amount of manure has become increasingly important in recent years not only from an environmental but also from a circular economy perspective, thanks to fast-growing livestock sectors such as broiler farming (Chia et al, 2019;Nalunga et al, 2021). The livestock sectors are expected to become even more important in the future to meet the food needs of a growing population (Kasule et al, 2014;Enahoro et al, 2018;Van Harn et al, 2019;Janković et al, 2020).…”

Assessment of Composted Pelletized Poultry Litter as an Alternative to Chemical Fertilizers Based on the Environmental Impact of Their Production

“…Manure and other organic matters can be a viable alternative to chemical fertilizers since they play an important role in soil resource replenishment [22][23][24][25][26][27]. In recent years, one of the rapidly growing livestock sectors is broiler farming [28,29], which is expected to become even more important in the future [30][31][32][33] to meet the food demand of a growing population. Due to the growing broiler production, the issue of manure utilization is becoming more important not only from an environmental standpoint, but also from a circular economy aspect in accordance with the Green Deal.…”