Feeding slow-growing chickens whole black soldier fly larvae has no detrimental impact on meat qualities and could improve its fatty acid profile, research in Italy suggests.
In the study carried at University of Turin, scientists led by Edoardo Fiorilla tested the impact of feeding growing male chickens of an Italian breed, Bianca di Saluzzo, either whole dehydrated black soldier fly larvae or whole live larvae. The team included the insects at 5% of expected daily dry matter intake in a basal diet where all soybean was replaced with alternative ingredients including maize, field bean and pea protein meal. They fed a control group just the basal diet.
Following a 147- or 170-day feeding period, they went on to slaughter two birds from each of a total of 18 pens used in the work to weigh breast fillets of the meat and carry out analysis of fatty acids and meat quality metrics such as thawing loss, protein digestibility and tenderness. Experts in sensory evaluation also looked at specific qualities around odour, texture and taste.
Fatty acids only key change
From the tests, they found no significant differences in any of the meat quality metrics when comparing either frozen or live larvae diets to controls, and neither in the sensory tests. However, they did see higher levels of the fatty acids lauric acid and myristic acid in both the diets containing insects. This change could have a notable impact.
“Lauric acid has been shown to possess antimicrobial properties, particularly against pathogens like Campylobacter, which are a major concern for food safety and consumer protection,” they wrote in the journal Poultry Science.
“Moreover, dietary supplementation with lauric acid enhances the meat’s nutritional value, and some research suggests that lauric acid may have positive effects on cholesterol levels.”
Reassuring the market
Black soldier fly are the most widely produced insect for food and feed, and the research adds to a growing body of evidence underlining its safety and positive nutritional profile as it moves towards the mainstream.
“Overall, this study provides reassurance to consumers and industries about the suitability of black soldier fly as a sustainable feed supplement for poultry that also offers potential benefits in terms of optimizing the fatty acid profile of chicken meat,” they added.
