Antioxidant Status and Liver Function of Young Turkeys Receiving a Diet with Full-Fat Insect Meal from Hermetia illucens

Insect Larvae as an Alternate Protein Source in Poultry Feed Improve the Performance and Meat Quality of Broilers

The primary challenge facing the global animal industry is the scarcity of protein feed resources. Various insects are gaining prominence as innovative feed sources due to their economic, environmentally friendly, and nutritious attributes. The purpose of the present study was to determine the effects of a partial replacement of soybean meal with fall armyworm Spodoptera frugiperda (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae) and black soldier fly Hermetia illucens (Diptera: Stratiomyidae) on the growth performances, blood parameters, gut histology, and meat quality of broilers. A total of 350 1-day-old (40 ± 0.15 g) male chicks (Ross 308) were randomly assigned to seven experimental meals. Each treatment was repeated five times with 50 birds per dietary treatment. The seven dietary treatments included 4, 8, and 12% replacements of SBM with larvae of S. frugiperda and H. illucens. SBM was the basal diet considered the control. The data showed that broilers fed 12% S. frugiperda or H. illucens exhibited a significantly higher (p < 0.05) live weight, average daily weight gain, and improved the feed conversion ratio. Meals with 12% S. frugiperda or H. illucens significantly enhanced (p < 0.05) haematological and gut histological parameters, including villus height, crypt depth, villus width, and villus height/crypt depth ratios. The meat of broilers fed the 12% S. frugiperda diet showed significantly higher (p < 0.05) lightness and yellowness. Replacing soybean meal up to 12% with either S. frugiperda or H. illucens larvae improves the growth performance, blood haematology, gut morphometry, and meat quality traits of broilers.

Bioactive compounds and biological activity in edible insects: A review

New strategies to combat hunger are a current and urgent demand. The increase in population has generated a high demand for products and services that affect food production, cultivation areas, and climate. Viable and sustainable alternative sources have been sought to meet food quality requirements. In this context, edible insects are a good source of macro-nutrients, and bioactive compounds confer biological properties that improve their nutritional aspects and benefit human health. This review aims to present the benefits and contributions of edible insects from the point of view of the biological contribution of macronutrients, and bioactive compounds, as well as consider some anti-nutritional aspects reported in edible insects. It was found that insects possess most of the macronutrients necessary for human life and are rich in bioactive compounds commonly found in plants. These bioactive compounds can vary significantly depending on the developmental stage, diet, and species of edible insects. However, they also contain phytochemicals in which anti-nutrients predominate, which can adversely affect humans with allergenic reactions or reduced nutrient viability when consumed in high amounts or for prolonged periods. Hydrocyanide, oxalates, soluble oxalate, and phytate are the most studied anti-nutrients. However, the doses at which they occur are far below the limits in foods. In addition, anti-nutrient levels decrease significantly in processing, such as oven-drying and defatting methods. However, there are few studies, so more trials are needed to avoid generalizing. Therefore, edible insects can be considered complete food.

Partial and Total Replacement of Soybean Meal with Full-Fat Black Soldier Fly (Hermetia illucens L.) Larvae Meal in Broiler Chicken Diets: Impact on Growth Performance, Carcass Quality and Meat Quality

The aim of this study was to compare selected growth performance parameters and slaughter characteristics in broiler chickens fed diets with a different content of full-fat Hermetia illucens L. (HI) larvae meal. The experiment was performed on 384 male broiler chickens (Ross 308) reared to 42 d of age and assigned to four dietary treatments (HI0-control diet and diets where soybean meal protein (SBM) was replaced with HI protein in 50%, 75% and 100%, respectively). The final body weights of chickens were as follows: 3010.0 g (HI0), 2650.0 g (HI50), 2590.0 g (HI75) and 2375.0 g (H100, p < 0.05). The carcasses of chickens from the experimental groups contained less meat and more abdominal fat. The feed conversion ratio for the entire experimental period was similar in groups HI0, HI50 and HI75 and more desirable than in group HI100 (p < 0.05). The meat of broiler chickens from groups HI75 and HI100 was characterized by significantly (p < 0.05) lower juiciness and taste intensity than the meat of birds from groups HI0 and HI50. The replacement of SBM protein with full-fat HI larvae meal in broiler diets exceeding 50% significantly compromised the growth performance of birds and the carcass and meat quality.

An Overview of Antimicrobial Compounds from African Edible Insects and Their Associated Microbiota

The need for easily biodegradable and less toxic chemicals in drug development and pest control continues to fuel the exploration and discovery of new natural molecules. Like certain plants, some insects can also respond rapidly to microbial infections by producing a plethora of immune-induced molecules that include antibacterial and antifungal peptides/polypeptides (AMPs), among other structurally diverse small molecules. The recent recognition that new natural product-derived scaffolds are urgently needed to tackle life-threatening pathogenic infections has been prompted by the health threats posed by multidrug resistance. Although many researchers have concentrated on the discovery of AMPs, surprisingly, edible insect-produced AMPs/small molecules have received little attention. This review will discuss the recent advances in the identification and bioactivity analysis of insect AMPs, with a focus on small molecules associated with the microbiota of selected African edible insects. These molecules could be used as templates for developing next-generation drugs to combat multidrug-resistant pathogens.