Comparative evaluation of Acheta domesticus and Hermetia illucens as alternative protein sources for the growth, health, and meat quality of the broiler
IntroductionInsects are receiving increasing attention due to their potential to enhance farming efficiency and sustainability, mitigate vast quantities of bio-waste, and improve animal performance. It is hypothesized that replacing soybean meal with Acheta domesticus will improve broiler productive...
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Frontiers Media S.A.
2025-02-01
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| Series: | Frontiers in Animal Science |
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| Online Access: | https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fanim.2025.1531761/full |
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| author | Farwa Mustafa Asif Sajjad Muhammad Sajjad Mudssar Ali Hafiza Sehrish Bashir Muhammad Ghazanfar Abbas Muhammad Binyameen Raimondas Mozūratis Raimondas Mozūratis |
| author_facet | Farwa Mustafa Asif Sajjad Muhammad Sajjad Mudssar Ali Hafiza Sehrish Bashir Muhammad Ghazanfar Abbas Muhammad Binyameen Raimondas Mozūratis Raimondas Mozūratis |
| author_sort | Farwa Mustafa |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | IntroductionInsects are receiving increasing attention due to their potential to enhance farming efficiency and sustainability, mitigate vast quantities of bio-waste, and improve animal performance. It is hypothesized that replacing soybean meal with Acheta domesticus will improve broiler productive performance, health, and meat quality. Therefore, the objective of this study was to assess the effect of the gradual replacement of soybean meal (4%, 8%, and 12%) with house cricket (A. domesticus) and black soldier fly (Hermetia illucens) on productive performances, hematology, intestinal morphology, and meat quality attributes of male broiler (Ross 308). MethodsA total of 350 1-day-old chicks (39.23 ± 0.19 g) were divided into seven groups (five pens per group and 10 chicks per pen) following a completely randomized design. The seven groups included 4%, 8%, and 12% SBM replacements with A. domesticus and H. illucens. Soybean meal was the basal diet considered the control. ResultsThe broilers fed 12% A. domesticus, or 12% H. illucens had significantly higher ((p 0.05) live weight, average daily weight gain, and improved feed conversion ratio than the broilers fed basal (SBM) diet throughout starter, grower, and finisher phases. Hematology (complete blood count and serum biochemistry traits) and intestinal morphology (villus height, villus width, crypt depth, and villus height-to-crypt depth ratio) of the broilers improved when fed on 12% A. domesticus and 12% H. illucens meals as compared to the control group (p < 0.05). Feeding 12% A. domesticus and 12% H. illucens also had a significant positive impact on the meat quality traits of broilers, such as maximum redness (a*) and yellowness (b*) with minimal cooking loss and lightness (L*) (p < 0.05) than the broilers fed the control diet. DiscussionUsing insect meal as an alternative to traditional feed sources could contribute significantly to the sustainable expansion of the poultry industry. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-07ab3739076a42459a2a764fa49503ff |
| institution | Kabale University |
| issn | 2673-6225 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2025-02-01 |
| publisher | Frontiers Media S.A. |
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| series | Frontiers in Animal Science |
| spelling | doaj-art-07ab3739076a42459a2a764fa49503ff2025-02-04T06:31:57ZengFrontiers Media S.A.Frontiers in Animal Science2673-62252025-02-01610.3389/fanim.2025.15317611531761Comparative evaluation of Acheta domesticus and Hermetia illucens as alternative protein sources for the growth, health, and meat quality of the broilerFarwa Mustafa0Asif Sajjad1Muhammad Sajjad2Mudssar Ali3Hafiza Sehrish Bashir4Muhammad Ghazanfar Abbas5Muhammad Binyameen6Raimondas Mozūratis7Raimondas Mozūratis8Department of Entomology, Faculty of Agriculture and Environment, The Islamia University of Bahawalpur, Bahawalpur, PakistanDepartment of Entomology, Faculty of Agriculture and Environment, The Islamia University of Bahawalpur, Bahawalpur, PakistanDepartment of Entomology, Faculty of Agriculture and Environment, The Islamia University of Bahawalpur, Bahawalpur, PakistanInstitute of Plant Protection, Muhammad Nawaz Shareef University of Agriculture Multan, Multan, PakistanDepartment of Entomology, Faculty of Agriculture and Environment, The Islamia University of Bahawalpur, Bahawalpur, PakistanDepartment of Entomology, Faculty of Agricultural Sciences and Technology, Bahauddin Zakariya University, Multan, PakistanDepartment of Entomology, Faculty of Agricultural Sciences and Technology, Bahauddin Zakariya University, Multan, PakistanLaboratory of Chemical and Behavioural Ecology, Institute of Ecology, Nature Research Centre, Vilnius, LithuaniaDepartment of Zoology, Stockholm University, Stockholm, SwedenIntroductionInsects are receiving increasing attention due to their potential to enhance farming efficiency and sustainability, mitigate vast quantities of bio-waste, and improve animal performance. It is hypothesized that replacing soybean meal with Acheta domesticus will improve broiler productive performance, health, and meat quality. Therefore, the objective of this study was to assess the effect of the gradual replacement of soybean meal (4%, 8%, and 12%) with house cricket (A. domesticus) and black soldier fly (Hermetia illucens) on productive performances, hematology, intestinal morphology, and meat quality attributes of male broiler (Ross 308). MethodsA total of 350 1-day-old chicks (39.23 ± 0.19 g) were divided into seven groups (five pens per group and 10 chicks per pen) following a completely randomized design. The seven groups included 4%, 8%, and 12% SBM replacements with A. domesticus and H. illucens. Soybean meal was the basal diet considered the control. ResultsThe broilers fed 12% A. domesticus, or 12% H. illucens had significantly higher ((p 0.05) live weight, average daily weight gain, and improved feed conversion ratio than the broilers fed basal (SBM) diet throughout starter, grower, and finisher phases. Hematology (complete blood count and serum biochemistry traits) and intestinal morphology (villus height, villus width, crypt depth, and villus height-to-crypt depth ratio) of the broilers improved when fed on 12% A. domesticus and 12% H. illucens meals as compared to the control group (p < 0.05). Feeding 12% A. domesticus and 12% H. illucens also had a significant positive impact on the meat quality traits of broilers, such as maximum redness (a*) and yellowness (b*) with minimal cooking loss and lightness (L*) (p < 0.05) than the broilers fed the control diet. DiscussionUsing insect meal as an alternative to traditional feed sources could contribute significantly to the sustainable expansion of the poultry industry. https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fanim.2025.1531761/fullAcheta domesticusbroilerhematologyHermetia illucensproductive performancereplacement |
| spellingShingle | Farwa Mustafa Asif Sajjad Muhammad Sajjad Mudssar Ali Hafiza Sehrish Bashir Muhammad Ghazanfar Abbas Muhammad Binyameen Raimondas Mozūratis Raimondas Mozūratis Comparative evaluation of Acheta domesticus and Hermetia illucens as alternative protein sources for the growth, health, and meat quality of the broiler Frontiers in Animal Science Acheta domesticus broiler hematology Hermetia illucens productive performance replacement |
| title | Comparative evaluation of Acheta domesticus and Hermetia illucens as alternative protein sources for the growth, health, and meat quality of the broiler |
| title_full | Comparative evaluation of Acheta domesticus and Hermetia illucens as alternative protein sources for the growth, health, and meat quality of the broiler |
| title_fullStr | Comparative evaluation of Acheta domesticus and Hermetia illucens as alternative protein sources for the growth, health, and meat quality of the broiler |
| title_full_unstemmed | Comparative evaluation of Acheta domesticus and Hermetia illucens as alternative protein sources for the growth, health, and meat quality of the broiler |
| title_short | Comparative evaluation of Acheta domesticus and Hermetia illucens as alternative protein sources for the growth, health, and meat quality of the broiler |
| title_sort | comparative evaluation of acheta domesticus and hermetia illucens as alternative protein sources for the growth health and meat quality of the broiler |
| topic | Acheta domesticus broiler hematology Hermetia illucens productive performance replacement |
| url | https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fanim.2025.1531761/full |
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