Partial and Total Replacement of Soybean Meal with Full-Fat Black Soldier Fly (Hermetia illucens L.) Larvae Meal in Broiler Chicken Diets: Impact on Growth Performance, Carcass Quality and Meat Quality

Daria Murawska; Tomasz Daszkiewicz; Wiesław Sobotka; Michał Gesek; Dorota Witkowska; Paulius Matusevičius; Tadeusz Bakuła

doi:10.3390/ani11092715

Partial and Total Replacement of Soybean Meal with Full-Fat Black Soldier Fly (Hermetia illucens L.) Larvae Meal in Broiler Chicken Diets: Impact on Growth Performance, Carcass Quality and Meat Quality

Animals (Basel). 2021 Sep 17;11(9):2715. doi: 10.3390/ani11092715.

Authors

Daria Murawska¹, Tomasz Daszkiewicz², Wiesław Sobotka³, Michał Gesek⁴, Dorota Witkowska⁵, Paulius Matusevičius⁶, Tadeusz Bakuła⁷

Affiliations

¹ Department of Commodity Science and Animal Improvement, University of Warmia and Mazury in Olsztyn, Oczapowski Street 5, 10-719 Olsztyn, Poland.
² Department of Commodity Science and Animal Raw Material Processing, University of Warmia and Mazury in Olsztyn, Oczapowski Street 5, 10-719 Olsztyn, Poland.
³ Department of Animal Nutrition and Feed Science, University of Warmia and Mazury in Olsztyn, Oczapowski Street 5, 10-719 Olsztyn, Poland.
⁴ Department of Pathological Anatomy, University of Warmia and Mazury in Olsztyn, Oczapowski Street 13, 10-719 Olsztyn, Poland.
⁵ Department of Animal and Environmental Hygiene, University of Warmia and Mazury in Olsztyn, Oczapowski Street 5, 10-719 Olsztyn, Poland.
⁶ Department of Animal Breeding and Nutrition, Faculty of Animal Husbandry Technology, Lithuanian University of Health Sciences, Tilžės str. 18, LT-47181 Kaunas, Lithuania.
⁷ Department of Veterinary Prevention and Feed Hygiene, University of Warmia and Mazury in Olsztyn, Oczapowski Street 13, 10-719 Olsztyn, Poland.

Abstract

The aim of this study was to compare selected growth performance parameters and slaughter characteristics in broiler chickens fed diets with a different content of full-fat Hermetia illucens L. (HI) larvae meal. The experiment was performed on 384 male broiler chickens (Ross 308) reared to 42 d of age and assigned to four dietary treatments (HI0-control diet and diets where soybean meal protein (SBM) was replaced with HI protein in 50%, 75% and 100%, respectively). The final body weights of chickens were as follows: 3010.0 g (HI0), 2650.0 g (HI50), 2590.0 g (HI75) and 2375.0 g (H100, p < 0.05). The carcasses of chickens from the experimental groups contained less meat and more abdominal fat. The feed conversion ratio for the entire experimental period was similar in groups HI0, HI50 and HI75 and more desirable than in group HI100 (p < 0.05). The meat of broiler chickens from groups HI75 and HI100 was characterized by significantly (p < 0.05) lower juiciness and taste intensity than the meat of birds from groups HI0 and HI50. The replacement of SBM protein with full-fat HI larvae meal in broiler diets exceeding 50% significantly compromised the growth performance of birds and the carcass and meat quality.

Keywords: broiler chicken; carcass quality; full-fat Hermetia illucens larvae meal; growth performance; sensory quality of meat.