Evaluation of the metabolic effects of replacement of conventional protein sources by insect meal in growing broilers
Final Report Abstract
Insect meal has recently become attractive as an alternative protein source in animal nutrition. While several studies already demonstrated that insect meal can partially replace soybean meal in feeding rations for broilers without impairing animal´s performance, the use of insect meal as feed for broilers in the future requires the exclusion of any safety concerns. The exclusion of any safety issues is of particular importance with regard to ensuring food safety and to assure animals´ and consumers´ health. Apart from this, the high relevance of this project arises from the increasing need to provide sustainably produced protein sources for the globally growing animal production. However, suitable studies in broilers which comprehensively described the impact of insect meal on intermediary metabolism – a prerequisite to identify potential adverse metabolic effects – were lacking. Against this background the project aimed to comprehensively evaluate the effects of insect meal from Hermetia illucens (HI) larvae on the intermediary metabolism of broilers using high-throughput screening (omics) technologies. The main hypothesis was that partial replacement of soybean meal by insect meal from HI larvae in the feeding ration induces specific metabolic effects, which are of scientific interest but are not detrimental to broilers´ metabolism. To test this, a 35-days, three-phase feeding trial with 1-day-old male Cobb 500 broilers receiving nutrientadequate isonitrogenous and isoenergetic feeding rations with either 0% (group HI0), 7.5% (group HI7.5) or 15% (group HI15) HI larvae meal was carried out, and biological effects were evaluated using liver and muscle transcriptomics, plasma metabolomics and cecal microbiomics. While body weight gain, feed intake, and feed conversion did not differ between groups, breast muscle weight, carcass yield, apparent ileal digestibility (AID) of several amino acids, and cecal bacterial diversity were higher in group HI15 than in group HI0. Analysis of bacterial community composition in the cecum revealed differences in the abundance of 5 families and 18 genera. Liver and muscle transcriptomics revealed only a very weak impact of dietary replacement of soybean meal by HI larvae meal, which was evident from the low number of differentially regulated genes and the generally weak regulation of genes. Targeted metabolomics of blood plasma revealed changes in a large set of metabolites, most of which were triglyceride species and largely reflected the fatty acid profile of the diets. In total, comprehensive analysis of the metabolic effects of replacement of soybean meal with HI larvae meal in the diets of broilers showed no negative impact of dietary HI larvae meal but beneficial increases of breast muscle weight and carcass weight and an improvement of the AID of several amino acids. Based on these findings HI larvae meal can be recommended as a safe and sustainable, alternative protein source for broilers.
Publications
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Effect of dietary inclusion of insect larvae meal on the expression of genes involved in protein synthesis and protein degradation in breast meat of the chickens. Proceedings of International Conference On Agriculture and Life Sciences (ICOALS 4), 612 (2023)
Tahiri M., Beller S., Ringseis R., Tafaj M. & Eder K.
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Investigations of the effect of dietary insect larvae meal from the black soldier fly on the caecal microbiome, the liver transcriptome and the plasma metabolome of broilers. Proceedings of the Society of Nutrition Physiology 32: 66 (2023)
Ringseis R., Beller S., Seel W., Most E. & Eder K.
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Effect of replacing soybean meal with Hermetia illucens meal on cecal microbiota, liver transcriptome, and plasma metabolome of broilers. Poultry Science, 103(5), 103635.
Beller, Simone; Grundmann, Sarah M.; Pies, Klara; Most, Erika; Schuchardt, Sven; Seel, Waldemar; Simon, Marie-Christine; Eder, Klaus & Ringseis, Robert
