Study backs black soldier fly meal as soybean alternative in broilers

CURRENT BRIEF VERSION: A new study in Veterinary Sciences suggests black soldier fly larvae meal could replace a meaningful share of soybean meal in broiler diets without hurting growth, carcass traits, meat quality, or routine blood chemistry, at least under the conditions tested. Researchers at Prairie View A&M University and collaborators assigned 160 Ross 708 broilers to diets in which black soldier fly larvae meal replaced soybean meal at 0%, 20%, 40%, or 60% on an equivalent basis from day 10 through day 42. They reported no major negative effects on performance or health status across treatment groups, adding to a growing body of work exploring insect protein as an alternative poultry feed ingredient. Other broiler studies have also found low-level insect meal inclusion can be used safely without impairing growth or mortality, although some meat-quality changes have been noted, including higher breast yield in insect-fed birds in one trial and shifts in breast pH, cooking loss, thigh fat deposition, serum cholesterol, and intestinal measurements depending on insect species and inclusion rate. (mdpi.com)

Why it matters: For veterinary professionals working with poultry systems, the study adds another data point in favor of insect-derived proteins as a practical tool for ration flexibility when soybean costs, supply volatility, or sustainability pressures are in play. But the broader literature still points to some limits: a recent meta-analysis found black soldier fly inclusion appeared safe up to about 10% overall, while other studies have raised questions about meat fatty acid shifts, digestibility, economics, and how results vary with insect processing methods and inclusion rates. There is also a reminder that simply lowering soybean meal is not automatically neutral for flock outcomes: in one broiler study, a 10% soybean meal reduction increased mortality, feed intake, and reduced ether extract availability, while altering cecal microbiota; raffinose supplementation partly moderated some of those changes. In the U.S., dried black soldier fly larvae already have an AAFCO ingredient definition for use in poultry feed, which makes the regulatory pathway clearer than it was a few years ago. (publish.csiro.au)

What to watch: Expect follow-up work on cost, optimal inclusion levels, gut health, meat fatty acid profiles, and whether these results hold in larger commercial flocks and different production systems. Researchers will also likely keep looking at how alternative proteins and feed additives interact with intestinal function, microbiota, and final meat quality, since both insect meals and non-insect additives such as stevia extracts have shown they can shift downstream product traits even when growth stays acceptable. (publish.csiro.au)