Partially defatted black soldier fly larva meal inclusion in piglet diets: effects on the growth performance, nutrient digestibility, blood profile, gut morphology and histological features

Abstract

Background The aim of this trial was to investigate the effects of different inclusion levels of a partially defatted black soldier fly (BSF, Hermetia illucens L.) larva meal on the growth performance, nutrient digestibility, blood profile, gut morphology and histological features of piglets. A total of 48 newly weaned piglets were individually weighed (initial body weight (IBW): 6.1 ± 0.16 kg) and randomly allocated to 3 dietary treatments (4 boxes as replicates/treatment and 4 animals/box). BSF larva meal was included at increasing levels (0% [BSF0], 5% [BSF5] and 10% [BSF10]) in isonitrogenous and isoenergetic diets formulated for two feeding phases: I (from d 1 to d 23) and II (from d 24 to d 61). The weight gain (WG), average daily gain (ADG), average daily feed intake (ADFI) and feed conversion ratio (FCR) were calculated for each feeding phase and for the whole trial. The haematochemical parameters and nutrient digestibility of the piglets were also evaluated. A total of 3 piglets per box were slaughtered on d 61 and the slaughtered piglets were submitted to morphometric investigations and histopathological examinations. Results No overall significant differences were observed for growth performance ( P > 0.05), except for the ADFI of phase II, which showed a linear response to increasing BSF meal levels ( P < 0.05, maximum for the BSF10 group). Dietary BSF meal inclusion did not significantly influence the blood profile, except as far as monocytes and neutrophils are concerned, and these showed a linear and quadratic response, respectively, to increasing BSF meal levels ( P < 0.05, maximum for the BSF10 and BSF5 groups, respectively). On the other hand, the nutrient digestibility, gut morphology and histological features were not affected by dietary BSF meal inclusion ( P > 0.05). Conclusions The obtained results show that a partially defatted BSF larva meal can be used as a feed ingredient in diets for weaned piglets without negatively affecting their growth performance, nutrient digestibility, blood profile, gut morphology or histological features.

Full-Fat Insect Meal as a Protein and Energy Source for Weaned Piglets: Effects on Growth Performance, Nutrient Digestibility, Gastrointestinal Function and Microbiota

“…The effect of MCFA on morphology could be more evident the rst days PW as the VH in the small intestine seems to recover within two weeks PW [61]. Biasato et al [10] also reported no difference in intestinal morphometric indices after feeding pigs diets with up to 10% defatted BSFL. In accordance with our results, they also observed greater morphometric indices in the jejunum than the ileum.…”

Insect and fish by-products as sustainable alternatives to conventional animal proteins in animal nutrition

“…Recent data indicate an insect yearly production at EU level of about 6000 tonnes, corresponding to an average of 2000-3000 tonnes of insect-derived PAPs (IPIFF 2019a; Mancuso et al 2019). They are expected to be increasingly used in Europe and around the globe as a replacement for conventional animal-derived proteins for aquaculture (Lock et al 2018) and terrestrian livestocks (Bovera et al 2018;Khan 2018;Biasato et al 2019a). Forecasted insect protein production to be used in both the human food and the animal feed sectors for 2025 surpasses 1.2 million tonnes (Mt) reaching about 10% of the EU share of total protein supply (IPIFF 2019a; Mancuso et al 2019).…”

“…Insects for organic waste valorisation -Some insect species can efficiently convert low value organic substrate (wastes from industry or agriculture) into high value products exalting the concept of Circular Economy and Zero Waste (Verbeke et al 2015;Bosch et al 2019;Pinotti et al 2019). In addition, they seem to have a low environmental impact in terms of land use and water consumption (Dobermann et al 2017; van Huis and Oonincx 2017), even though available environmental studies and Life Cycle Assessments (LCAs) are still limited (Mertenat et al 2019).…”

“…In the EU, in the light of the 'precautionary' principle applied to the food safety policy, substrates such as catering or animal wastes are forbidden, even though in other parts of the world the scenario is quite different and sometimes with less restrictions in the use of wastes and other poor substrates (Pinotti et al 2019;Sogari et al 2019b;Fowles and Nansen 2020). The limitations imposed at EU scale have several implications because the available data on the environmental and economic sustainability of the insects as feedstuff indicate that insect meals are more sustainable when insects are grown on poor substrates, often not authorised in the EU (Bosch et al 2019;Smetana et al 2019). More research aimed at assessing the safety risks deriving from chemicals, mycotoxins, heavy metals, pesticides and other residues (Charlton et al 2015;EFSA 2015;Purschke et al 2017;Camenzuli et al 2018;Leni et al 2019) in poor substrates intended for insect rearing is needed before enabling their use.…”

Black soldier fly from pest to ‘crown jewel’ of the insects as feed industry: an historical perspective

“…The purpose of this article is to provide some historical perspective of the black soldier fly before its recognition as a model for recycling organic waste to produce feed for aquaculture (St. Hilaire et al, 2007), poultry (Moula et al, 2017), livestock (Biasato et al, 2019;Gasco et al, 2019), and pets (Bosch et al, 2014), or use to produce bio-energy (Surendra et al, 2016), while generating organic matter (i.e. frass) that can be used as fertiliser (Setti et al, 2019;Xiao et al, 2018).…”