# Effect of Dietary Inclusion of Full-Fat Insect Meals (Hermetia illucens and Tenebrio molitor) for Broiler Chickens: Live Performance, Carcass Yield, Meat Quality, Blood Profiles, and Intestinal Morphometry

## TL;DR

This study shows that adding insect meals to chicken feed can support healthy growth and improve meat quality without harming the birds.

## Contribution

The study demonstrates that full-fat insect meals can be safely included in broiler diets at low levels without compromising growth or meat quality.

## Key findings

- Insect-fed chickens showed increased breast yield and modified serum lipid profiles.
- Mealworm meal increased HDL-cholesterol without affecting LDL-cholesterol.
- Insect meals did not negatively impact growth performance or carcass quality.

## Abstract

Chickens are one of the World’s most important food sources, but raising them requires large amounts of feed, which is often expensive and imported from distant countries. Researchers are searching for sustainable alternatives that are locally produced and environmentally friendly. Insects, particularly black soldier fly and yellow mealworms, are promising candidates because they can be raised on agricultural waste and food scraps, converting them into high-quality feedstuffs. This research tested whether insect-based meals could be safely used in broiler chicken diets. A total of 1750 chickens were divided into five groups: one Control group fed standard diet, and four groups fed insect meal at two different levels for six weeks. Both types of insect meals proved supported normal growth, with all chickens growing normally and remaining healthy. Blood tests revealed that chickens fed mealworm meal had modified serum lipid profiles. The main barrier to using insect feed is cost, higher than that of the conventional protein sources like soybean meal. This research demonstrates that insect-based feeds are nutritious alternatives that can be successfully incorporated into broiler diets without compromising animal health or growth.

The present study evaluated the effects of dietary inclusion of Hermetia illucens (HI) and Tenebrio molitor (TM) larvae meals at 2% and 4% on growth performance, carcass yield, meat quality, blood parameters, and intestinal morphometry in broiler chickens. A total of 1750 one-day-old male Ross 308 broilers were assigned to five dietary treatments: a Control diet, or diets containing 2% or 4% of HI meal (HI2, HI4) or TM meal (TM2, TM4). Growth performance, feed intake (FI), feed conversation ratio (FCR), and mortality were unaffected by dietary treatments. Breast yield increased significantly in insect-fed groups (29.2–29.9%) compared with Control (27.6%). Birds fed HI4 exhibited lower breast pH (5.77 vs. 5.89) and increased cooking loss (29.2% vs. 27.3%), suggesting reduced WHC within acceptable ranges. Thigh meat showed dose-dependent lipid accumulation in insect-fed birds. Serum total cholesterol increased in TM-fed birds with elevated HDL-cholesterol, while LDL-cholesterol remained unaffected. TM meal specifically induced shorter ileal length compared with Control and HI-fed groups. Overall, both full-fat insect meals can be safely incorporated at low inclusion levels without adverse effects on broiler growth, health, or carcass quality.