Evaluation of the Low Inclusion of Full-Fatted Hermetia illucens Larvae Meal for Layer Chickens: Growth Performance, Nutrient Digestibility, and Gut Health

Abstract

Substitution of feed protein source with defatted black soldier fly larvae meal (BSFM) has been evaluated intensively in poultry, but information about full-fatted BSFM is still very limited. The aim of the present study was to investigate the effect of dietary low inclusion of full-fatted BSFM on the growth performance, plasma antioxidant ability, nutrient digestibility, and gut health of layer chickens during 1–42 days of age. A total of 480 female 1-day-old Hy-Line Brown chickens were divided into four dietary treatments, with the inclusion of 0, 3, 6, and 9% of full-fatted BSFM. Each treatment included six replicates and 20 birds per replicate. As dietary full-fatted BSFM inclusion levels increased, there was a quadratic increase in final weight and average daily gain and a quadratic decrease in feed/gain ratio. Dietary full-fatted BSFM inclusion levels increased the digestibility of crude protein and ether extract quadratically as well as ileum mucosal sIgA concentration linearly, but these had no effect on intestinal morphology. Additionally, an increase in dietary full-fatted BSFM inclusion levels resulted in a linear increase in glutathione peroxidase and total superoxide dismutase activities and a linear decrease in malondialdehyde content in plasma. The encouraging results of the improvement of growth performance, nutrient digestibility, antioxidant ability, and gut health parameters suggested that partially full-fatted BSFM inclusion can be suitable protein ingredients for layer chickens' diets at the starter period.

Effect of Insect Live Larvae as Environmental Enrichment on Poultry Gut Health: Gut Mucin Composition, Microbiota and Local Immune Response Evaluation

“…Also, low doses of insect meal can act as gut probiotics, being an alternative to antibiotics [7]. These aspects are particularly relevant considering consumer pressure and worries toward animal welfare and the harmful effects of antibiotics [5,32].…”

Bioactive properties of insect products for monogastric animals – a review

“…Water soluble short chain peptides (present in substantial quantities in insects like BSF) could be readily absorbed in the intestines of monogastric animals . There are several in vivo studies that report strong antioxidant activity of insect proteins in fish and poultry diets (Chu et al, 2020;Li et al, 2017;Xu et al, 2020). However, there is a scarcity of literature that reports the in vivo antioxidant potential of insect proteins in monogastric diets.…”

Insect meal as a feed ingredient for poultry

“…Chitin and chitin derivatives can stimulate the innate immune cells [9]. Chitin contains about 5% nitrogenCP [10,11]. Broiler chickens fed on the diet containing mealworm meal (MWM) meal have better 0.50%(DL-methionine) [10], 0.60% [30], 0.65% [11], 0.75% [37,38,40], 0.80% [34] and 0.90% [31,36]; however, methionine + cysteine is 1.30% [36].…”