Effect of Black Soldier Fly Larvae Meal Inclusion on Broiler Chicken Growth Performance and Carcass Quality
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.66553/japr.2026.116Keywords:
Alternative protein, Broiler chicken, Carcass quality, Growth performance, Hermetia illucensAbstract
A study was conducted to assess the effect of feeding graded inclusion of black soldier fly larvae meal (BSFLM; Hermetia illucens) on growth performance and carcass quality of broiler chickens. A total of 160 broiler chicks of Ross 308 strain were randomly allocated to four dietary treatments; each treatment contained 0% (control), 5% BSFLM, 10% BSFLM or 15% BSFLM, with 4 replicate pens for each treatment (n = 40 birds/treatment) and these were fed for 35 days. The growth performance parameters final body weight, average daily gain, feed intake, and feed conversion ratio were evaluated as were carcass traits, dressing percentage, breast meat yield, abdominal fat, and meat drip loss. The final body weight, average daily gain and feed conversion ratio remained unaffected by the inclusion of BSFLM at 5% and 10% of the control diet, establishing that BSFLM can be used to replace up to 50% of the soybean meal and fishmeal protein without any negative effects on growth performance. However, 15% inclusion significantly decreased the final body weight, average daily gain and increased feed conversion ratio compared with that of the control, indicating a threshold level where growth performance is negatively influenced by the inclusion of chitin and negative effect on amino acid digestibility at higher inclusion levels. Carcass quality was mostly preserved in the low to moderate levels of BSFLM inclusion, with a slight dose-dependent decrease in abdominal fat percentage as BSFLM inclusion increased, but a significant decrease in dressing percentage and breast meat yield was only found at the 15% inclusion level. Up to 10% of the protein in broiler diets can be replaced by BSFLM with no significant impact on growth performance and carcass quality, thus providing a sustainable protein source alternative.
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