Black soldier fly larvae meal shows promise as soy substitute in broilers

Black soldier fly larvae meal could replace a meaningful share of soybean meal in broiler diets without hurting growth, carcass traits, or most meat-quality measures, according to a new study in Veterinary Sciences that tested 0%, 20%, 40%, and 60% soybean-meal replacement in Ross 708 broilers from 10 to 42 days of age. The paper adds to a growing body of work on insect protein as a poultry feed ingredient, at a time when feed formulators are under pressure to reduce reliance on conventional soy and manage sustainability, cost volatility, and supply-chain risk. In the U.S., black soldier fly larvae are already recognized for use in poultry feed under updated AAFCO ingredient definitions, though feedstock controls and ingredient consistency remain central regulatory and safety considerations. (poultryscience.org)

Why it matters: For veterinary and poultry professionals, the practical question isn’t whether insect meal is novel, but whether it performs predictably and safely in commercial diets. That’s where the nuance is. Prior broiler work has shown that lower or moderate inclusion levels can maintain performance, while higher substitution rates may shift nutrient digestibility, gut morphology, or meat lipid composition depending on whether the ingredient is full-fat or defatted, how it was processed, and what substrate the larvae were raised on. In one large broiler trial, adding 2% or 4% full-fat Hermetia illucens or Tenebrio molitor meal did not affect growth, feed conversion, mortality, or overall carcass quality, and breast yield was actually higher in insect-fed birds, though some meat-quality and intestinal differences emerged, including lower breast pH and higher cooking loss with 4% H. illucens and shorter ileal length with T. molitor. A recent meta-analysis concluded black soldier fly inclusion appears safe up to about 10% of the diet, while other broiler studies have found that replacing soy can preserve growth but alter fatty acid profiles, including raising lauric acid in breast meat. Separately, work on low-soy broiler diets suggests soybean-meal reduction itself can carry tradeoffs: a 10% SBM reduction increased mortality, feed intake, and reduced ether extract availability, with shifts in cecal microbiota that raffinose only partly corrected. (pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov)

What to watch: Expect closer attention to optimal inclusion rates, digestibility support strategies such as chitinase or formulation adjustments, meat-quality tradeoffs, and how quickly ingredient standardization and regulatory clarity translate into wider poultry-feed adoption. Researchers are also likely to keep comparing insect ingredients with other feed interventions aimed at lowering soy or improving product quality, because not every “soy-sparing” strategy is neutral for nutrient use, gut biology, or meat traits. And as seen in other species, inclusion thresholds may matter: black soldier fly meal has supported growth in fish at some levels while higher replacement rates worsened intestinal condition, reinforcing the need to define practical ceilings rather than assume more is better. (pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov)