Effect of Gradually Increasing Levels of Full-Fat Black Soldier Fly (Hermetia illucens) Larvae Meal on Layer Performance

Simple SummaryInsects which can be reared artificially, such as the black soldier fly, housefly or yellow mealworm are considered as promising feed sources for sustainable aquaculture. The present study is the first to reveal the potential of diets containing insect meal for juvenile yellowtail. The growth of fish fed diets in which fish meal was replaced by 10–30% partially defatted black soldier fly larvae meal was decreased in accordance with the content of the larvae meal. On the other hand, growth of fish with a diet including 20% completely defatted larvae meal was equivalent to that with a diet of the partially defatted larvae meal. Thus, the fat fraction of black solider fly larvae could cause growth retardation of yellowtail, and the defatting process of the insect meal may be important in the manufacture of black soldier fly larvae meal for yellowtail.Against a background of increased demand for fish meal (FM), black soldier fly larva is a promising alternative feed source for sustainable aquaculture. Yellowtail, the most popular farmed fish in Japan, is a carnivorous fish; therefore, it requires a high proportion of FM in its diet. This study represents the first example of yellowtail fed on a diet including insect meal as a replacement for FM. Partially defatted black soldier fly meal (PDBM) comprised 49.0% crude protein and 23.2% crude fat, while completely defatted black soldier fly meal (CDBM) contained less than 10% crude fat, as the same level as FM was achieved with defatting PDBM using hexane. In feeding trials, growth of the fish was reduced in accordance with PDBM content: 10%, 20%, and 30% in their diet. Although a diet including 8% CDBM (with the same protein composition as 10% PDBM) also resulted in decreased fish growth, growth with a diet including 16% CDBM (with the same protein composition as 20% PDBM) was significantly higher than that of 20% PDBM, and equivalent to that of 10% PDBM. Therefore, even 10% of partially or completely black soldier fly larvae meal in diets inhibited growth in juvenile yellowtail, and we found that removal of the fat fraction could improve fish growth.

Evaluation of black soldier fly (Hermetia illucens) larvae meal as partial or total replacement of marine fish meal in practical diets for Pacific white shrimp (Litopenaeus vannamei)

The present study investigated effects of dietary inclusion of black soldier fly larvae (BSFL) (Hermetia illucens) meal and paste on gut health, plasma biochemical parameters, immune response and skin mucus proteome in pre-smolt Atlantic salmon (Salmo salar). The seven-week experiment consisted of seven experimental diets: a control diet based on fishmeal and plant protein (Control-1); three BSFL meal diets, substituting 6.25% (6.25IM), 12.5% (12.5IM) and 25% (25IM) of protein; two BSFL paste diets, substituting 3.7% (3.7IP) and 6.7% (6.7IP) of protein and an extra control diet with 0.88% of formic acid (Control-2). The 6.25IM diet reduced enterocyte steatosis in pyloric caeca, improved distal intestine histology, and reduced IgM in distal intestine. The fish fed 12.5IM diet reduced enterocyte steatosis in pyloric caeca, improved distal intestine histology, had a higher plasma lysozyme content compared to 6.25IM, and tend to increase phagocytic activity in head-kidney macrophages-like cells. On the other hand, 25IM diet improved distal intestine histology, but showed mild-moderate enterocyte steatosis in pyloric caeca, increased IFNγ and reduced IgM in distal intestine. In the case of BSFL paste diets, 3.7IP diet caused mild inflammatory changes in distal intestine, although it reduced enterocyte steatosis in pyloric caeca. The 6.7IP diet reduced enterocyte steatosis in pyloric caeca and improved distal intestine histology. Increasing level of BSFL meal in the diet linearly decreased plasma C-reactive protein, whereas increasing level of BSFL paste linearly increased plasma antioxidant capacity. Dietary inclusion of BSFL meal and paste had minor effects on the expression profile of proteins in skin mucus and no effects on immune markers in splenocytes. BSFL meal showed no negative effect on liver and muscle health as indicated by plasma alanine aminotranseferase, asparate aminotransferase and creatine kinase. The present study showed that replacing conventional protein sources with low to moderate levels of BSFL meal (6.25% and 12.5%) or paste (3.7% and 6.7%) reduced enterocyte steatosis in pyloric caeca, while replacing up to 25% with BSFL meal or 6.7% with paste improved distal intestine histology. Further, dietary inclusion of BSFL meal and paste had minor effects on skin mucus proteome and immune response in Atlantic salmon.

The impact of dietary Black Soldier Fly larvae oil and meal on laying hen performance and egg quality

BackgroundBlack soldier fly larvae are exceptional ingredients, often used to replace fish meal. They can be easily cultured using waste and by-products. This study assesses the effect of black soldier fly larvae (BSFL) meal on the growth of Oreochromis niloticus raised in captivity, as well as the economic impact of replacing fish meal with BSFL meal in its diet.MethodBlack soldier fly larvae (BSFL) were produced for 15 days after egg hatching. The substrate of BSFL production was Soy bran that is a byproduct obtained by processing soy cheese. The larvae of Oreochromis niloticus of average initial weight 0.012 ± 0.00 g were randomly distributed in 15 tanks at a rate of 50 larvae per tank. Five different treatments were applied, with TR (imported feed); T0 (diet with 0% incorporation of black soldier fly larvae meal); T40; T50 and T60 are diets with 40%, 50% and 60% incorporation of black soldier fly larvae meal. The feeding frequency was 4 times/day. Each treatment was tested in triplicate for 28 days.ResultsThe specific growth rate obtained during the experiment varied significantly (P < 0.05) with the treatments from 2.88 ± 0.09 (T40) to 4.50 ± 0.12%/day (TR). The feed conversion rate (FCR), ranged from 2.25 ± 0.05 (T40) to 1.08 ± 0.04 (T60). The protein efficiency ratio (PER) showed a significant difference (P < 0.05) with the treatment. It ranged from 0.81 ± 0.07 (T40) to 2.34 ± 0.06 (TR). The survival rates varied from (T0) (92.66 ± 3.52) to (T50) (100.00 ± 0.00). The economic conversion ratio (ECR) presented a significant difference (P < 0.05). The best ECR was obtained with T60 (1.62 ± 0.09) and T50 (2.42 ± 0.17). Based on the parameters studied, diet with 40%, 50%, and 60% of BSFL meals showed better performance compared to treatment containing fish meal at 54% (T0). The cost production analyses were used to evaluate the economic impact of utilizing BSFL meal instead of fish meal in O. niloticus feeding.ConclusionIt is recommended to use 50% and 60% substitution rates for better economic profitability.

Black soldier fly (Hermetia illucens) larvae meal (BSFLM) is an alternative, sustainable, and nutrient-rich ingredient for pet foods. However, limited information is available on optimal inclusion levels and its functional properties. The objective of the study was to evaluate the effects of incremental levels of BSFLM (15% or 30%) as a partial or full substitute for chicken by-product meal (CM) in extruded diets. Three complete and balanced diets were formulated and extruded: Control, 15% BSFLM, and 30% BSFLM. The effects of the diets on nutrient digestibility, fecal metabolites and microbiota, and serum oxidative stress and inflammatory biomarkers in adult dogs were examined. A complete randomized design was used with adult Beagles (n = 10/treatment). The experimental period lasted 70 d, consisting of a 14-d adaptation to the control diet followed by 56-d test period. Data were analyzed using SAS Proc Mixed 9.4 with P ≤ 0.05 significance. All diets were well-accepted by the dogs; food intake and fecal output were not affected (P &amp;gt; 0.05) by treatment. Apparent total tract digestibility (ATTD) of dry matter, crude protein, and fat did not differ among treatments, whereas ATTD of organic matter (81.2%) and total dietary fiber (18.9%) was less (P &amp;lt; 0.05) for dogs fed 30% BSFLM in contrast with the Control group (83.2% and 30.3%, respectively). Fecal concentrations of total short-chain fatty acids and total phenols were less (P &amp;lt; 0.05) for dogs fed 30% BSFLM relative to dogs fed Control. No treatment effect was observed for serum biomarkers of oxidative stress and inflammation. Fecal microbial diversity differed between Control and 30% BSFLM groups. Overall, extruded diets containing 15% or 30% were well-digested by dogs as demonstrated by similar ATTD coefficients compared with Control. Intrinsic presence of chitin in BSFLM, and other insect-derived ingredients, can behave like insoluble dietary fiber in a food matrix, which would explain the decreased ATTD for organic matter and total dietary fiber, as well as less fecal concentration of total short-chain fatty acids. The inclusion of 30% BSFLM may have decreased protein hindgut fermentation due to less fecal concentration of total phenols. Altogether, the inclusion of 15% BSFLM resulted in similar physiological responses in comparison with dogs fed the Control diet. Greater inclusion levels of BSFLM may impact ATTD, however, it also has the potential to modulate fecal metabolites and microbiota, without negatively affecting fecal microbial richness.

A seventy-five-day feeding study was performed to investigate the usage of black soldier fly (Hermetia illucens) larvae meal as an alternative protein source in carp diets (Cyprinus carpio). In this study, experimental fish were fed with four different diets (fish meal-based without Black soldier fly larvae (BSFL) meal (BSFL0), 50% (BSFL50), 65% (BSFL65), and 75% (BSFL75) of fish meal substitution with BSFL), with triplicate. The carps (1.045±0.083 g) were randomly stocked into twelve flow-through tanks with a density of 50 fish per tank and reared for 75 days. Diet feed was provided to carps as a proportion of their biomass (5% of their mass per day) with two meals a day. Carps fed with BSFL65 meal showed positive effects on weight gain (WG), specific growth rate (SGR), protein efficiency ratio (PER), apparent net protein utilization (ANPU), and feed conversion ratio (FCR). There were significant differences in moisture, crude protein, lipid, and ash content in the whole body among dietary groups (P&amp;lt;0.05). The protein content of the carp-fed BSFL75 diet group (20.22%) was significantly the highest among all three diet groups. Consequently, a BSFL meal can be considered as an alternative animal source of protein for the carp diet.

Effects of partial or complete replacement of soybean meal with commercial black soldier fly larvae (Hermetia illucens) meal on growth performance, cecal short chain fatty acids, and excreta metabolome of broiler chickens

Background/Objectives: The use of black soldier fly (BSF) larvae meal in poultry nutrition is gaining attention as a sustainable protein source with a high nutritional value, an efficient bioconversion of organic waste, and potential functional benefits for intestinal health. This study evaluated the dietary effects of including 5% BSF larvae meal on the growth performance, nutrient digestibility, and energy utilization as well as on the intestinal integrity, gene expression, lipid profile, and short-chain fatty acid (SCFA) production of broilers under an intestinal challenge. Methods: Eight hundred one-day-old male broilers were assigned to four dietary treatments with eight replicates (25 birds/pen) and reared until day 40. Birds were fed either a Basal corn–soy diet or a BSF diet (5% BSF larvae meal replacing energy- and protein-yielding ingredients). Diets were provided to a non-challenged group and a challenged group, which was orally gavaged with Eimeria spp. on day 1 and Clostridium perfringens on days 11 and 14. The growth performance was evaluated up to day 40, while the nutrient digestibility, meat lipid profile, intestinal histomorphology, and gene expression were assessed at 21 days. The SCFAs were determined at both 21 and 40 days. Results: It was observed that the intestinal challenge induced dysbiosis and negatively affected growth performance, whereas the BSF meal inclusion partially mitigated these adverse effects. Broilers fed the BSF larvae meal showed increased cecal SCFA concentrations and a lower interleukin-6 gene expression, along with higher lauric and myristic acid levels in breast muscle (p ≤ 0.05). Conclusions: The inclusion of 5% BSF larvae meal improved performance without impairing nutrient digestibility or intestinal histomorphology, while increasing cecal concentrations of butyric and acetic acids and promoting a beneficial lipid deposition.

Assessing the performance, egg quality, serum analysis, heavy metals and essential trace metals accumulation in laying hen eggs and tissues fed black soldier fly (Hermetia illucens) larvae meal

Fish meal (FM) is a well known protein source for fish feed and its heavy utilization has contributed to overfishing that lead to increase price of formulated feed due to scarcity of fish resources for fish meal. Several studies were done to identify the best substitution of FM including Black Soldier Fly (Hermetia illucens) larvae as a potential candidate for FM replacement. This study was done to investigate the proximate composition of Black Soldier Fly Larvae Meal (BSFLM) and to determine its efficacy as feed on growth performance of Javan Mahseer (Tor tambra). Three types of treatment were used namely F0 or control (0% BSFLM and 100% FM), F50 (50% BSFLM and 50% FM) and F100 (100% BSFLM and 0% FM). Each treatment was fed twice daily for 20 days to 10 Javan Mahseer with the average initial weight of 0.1g respectively. Analyses conducted was proximate composition and growth performance like specific growth rate, feed conversion ratio, survival rate and body weight gain. Data was analysed using One-way Analysis of Variance (ANOVA) SPSS Windows 27. Results show that crude protein in F0, F50 and F100 were 37.52%, 30.36% and 27.52%; while F50 indicated best BWG (66.71%) and lowest FCR (3.16) respectively. It can be concluded that treatment 50% inclusion of BSF is the best ratio for good growth performances of Javan Mahseer.

Effects of partial replacement of fish meal with black soldier fly (Hermetia illucens) larvae meal on growth performance, lipid metabolism and hepatointestinal health of juvenile golden pompano (Trachinotus ovatus)

The current study was conducted to evaluate the effects of Black Soldier Fly (BSF) larvae meal in broiler chicken diets on growth performance, carcass characteristics, meat quality, and cecal microbiota. 300 unsexed Arbor Acres chicks were divided into two treatment groups, each with six replicates of 25 chicks. The experimental group was fed a diet in which soybean meal was partially substituted with 5% BSF larvae meal during the starter phase (1–14 days) and 10% during the grower phase (15–28 days). The finisher period is a BSF-free diet. Results showed no significant difference in growth performance between the experimental and control groups, except for a higher average weight in the second week (P=0.016). A significant difference was observed in the yield of hot eviscerated carcasses (P=0.001), while no significant differences were found in meat quality parameters, including pH, myoglobin, water-holding capacity, cooking loss, chemical composition (dry matter, ash, and ether extract), and bacterial counts such as total aerobic mesophilic flora, Enterobacteriaceae and E. coli. The inclusion of BSF larvae meal reduced harmful bacteria such as Enterobacteriaceae and increased beneficial bacteria such as Lactobacillus spp., in the chicken’s cecal microbiota. These findings suggest that BSF larvae provide health benefits in meal forms, supporting their potential as a viable and sustainable alternative protein source to partially replace soybean meal in broiler diets.

Effect of black soldier fly (Hermetia illucens) larvae meal and oil on the performance, biochemical profile, intestinal health and gut microbial dynamics in laying hens

Two trials were conducted to assess the acceptance, safety and digestibility of diets containing various inclusion levels of partially defatted black soldier fly (Hermetia illucens) larvae (BSFL) meal and BSFL oil by dogs. In trial 1, 5 extruded diets were evaluated for acceptance in adult Beagle dogs (n = 20; 10 male, 10 female) during a 48-hr period. Diets contained graded levels of BSFL meal (5.0%, 10.0%, and 20.0%), or graded levels of BSFL oil (2.5% and 5.0%), and all diets were well accepted. Thus, a digestibility trial (trial 2) was run with 56 adult dogs (16 male, 40 female) allocated into 7 dietary treatments; dogs were offered an extruded control diet containing no BSFL meal or oil, or extruded diets where BSFL meal partially replaced poultry by-product meal and corn meal at dietary levels of 5%, 10%, or 20% inclusion, or diets with BSFL oil partially replacing poultry fat at a 1:1 ratio at levels of 1%, 2.5%, or 5% inclusion. The treatment diets were fed for 28 d, during which time dogs were monitored for health (via physical examinations, clinical observations, and blood chemistry and hematology) and ingredient evaluation (via body weight, feed consumption, stool observation, and fecal nutrient apparent total tract digestibility). There were no significant differences in body weight or food consumption between treatment groups (P > 0.05) and daily observations indicated that the general health of the animals was maintained throughout the study. Stool quality was maintained at 3.2 to 3.4 (on a 5-point scale with a score of 1 being watery diarrhea and a score of 5 being hard, dry, and crumbly) per treatment group over the fecal observation period (days 22 to 27), indicating a well formed, sticky stool. All group mean hematology and blood chemistry parameters remained within normal limits for dogs. Apparent total tract digestibility of dry matter, protein, fat, and calories was not affected by treatment (P > 0.05). In general, amino acid digestibility was not impacted by treatment although some minor changes were observed. Apparent total tract digestibility was high for all nutrients examined. Overall, it was concluded that BSFL meal and BSFL oil are well tolerated by dogs and their consumption results in no impact to physiology that would be concerning. Based on these data, BSFL meal and oil did not affect general health and could be included safely in dog diets.