# Dietary Inclusion Effects of Dried Mealworm, Hydrolyzed Mealworm, Fermented Poultry By-Product, and Hydrolyzed Fish Soluble Protein on Weaning Pigs’ Performance, Fecal Score, and Blood Profiles

## TL;DR

This study found that adding fermented poultry by-products to weaning pigs' diets lowers blood urea nitrogen without harming their growth or digestion.

## Contribution

The study identifies fermented poultry by-product meal as a beneficial protein source for weaning pigs with reduced blood urea nitrogen.

## Key findings

- Fermented poultry by-product meal (FPBM) significantly decreased blood urea nitrogen (BUN) in weaning pigs.
- No negative effects on growth performance, nutrient digestibility, or fecal score were observed with the tested protein sources.
- FPBM had the lowest BUN concentration compared to other protein sources tested.

## Abstract

Inclusion of different sources of protein into the diets of weaning pigs can affect their performance; however, the precise effects vary depending on the pig’s age and the type of protein utilized. In addition to the widely used plant-based protein sources like soybean meal, animal-based sources, including animal products, and fish meal can also be employed. This study examined the effect of the addition of dried mealworm, hydrolyzed mealworm, fermented poultry by-product meal (FPBM), and hydrolyzed fish soluble protein (HFSP) on the growth performance, nutrient digestibility, fecal score, and blood profiles of weaning pigs. The study findings confirmed that there was no major or detrimental effect on the growth performance, nutrient digestibility, fecal score, or blood parameters of weaning pigs, but that BUN concentration decreased in response to dietary inclusion of FPBM.

This study was conducted to investigate the effects of the addition of dried mealworm, hydrolyzed mealworm, fermented poultry by-product meal (FPBM), and hydrolyzed fish soluble protein (HFSP) on the growth performance, nutrient digestibility, fecal score, and blood profiles of weaning pigs. A total of 40 (21-day-old) weaned piglets ([Yorkshire × Landrace] × Duroc) with an initial average body weight (BW) of 7.14 ± 1.29 kg were randomly assigned to one of four treatments for 35 days. There were four treatment groups with five replicates and two pigs (male and female) per pen. The dietary treatment included TRT1, a basal diet + 10% dried mealworm; TRT2, a basal diet + 10% hydrolyzed mealworm; TRT3, a basal diet + 10% fermented poultry by-product meal (FPBM); and TRT4, a basal diet + 10% hydrolyzed fish soluble protein (HFSP). The inclusion of FPBM in weaning pig diets had a significant effect on the blood profile with blood urea nitrogen (BUN) levels (p < 0.05), but not on other blood profiles of serum IGF-1, IgG, and IgA concentrations. BUN concentration decreased in response to the dietary inclusion of FPBM (p = 0.019). BUN concentration decreased and was at its lowest with FPBM (6.3 mg/dL), followed by hydrolyzed mealworm (7.3 mg/dL), while increasing with dried mealworm and HFSP (8.5 mg/dL). There was no significant difference in the growth performance, nutrient digestibility, and fecal score of piglets fed a basal diet with dried mealworm, hydrolyzed mealworm, FPBM, and HFSP. Hence, the addition of fermented poultry by-products in weaning pigs’ diets decreases the blood urea nitrogen, without any detrimental effect on performance, nutrient digestibility, or fecal score.