Effect of Different Dietary Doses of Black Soldier Fly Meal on Performance and Egg Quality in Free-Range Reared Laying Hens

Abstract

In recent years, the European Commission has approved the use of farmed insects in poultry feeding. Among the different farmed insects allowed, the black soldier fly (Hermetia illucens) stands out for being a dense source of nutrients and for its ability to transform most organic wastes, such as household food leftovers and livestock manure, into a rich source of essential amino acids, enabling thus the recycling of large amounts of residues. Currently, the main protein source used in the feed of laying hens is soybean meal. However, the use of soybean meal entails several concerns like deforestation, high carbon footprint, and its origin from genetically modified seeds. In the present research work, it was proven that soybean meal can be fully replaced by black soldier fly meal in the diet of hens without affecting the laying performance or the egg weight. This replacement also led to higher yolk concentration in vitamin E. Nonetheless, the dietary inclusion of black soldier fly meal also implied some impairment in egg quality, such as lower yolk colour score, worse albumen quality, reduced yolk concentrations in zinc and vitamin A, and decreased percentages of polyunsaturated and ω-3 fatty acids in egg yolk.