Abstract
This study evaluated the effects of replacing soybean meal with defatted black soldier fly (Hermetia illucens) larvae (BSFL) meal in the diets of Cherry Valley ducks. A 21-day feeding trial was conducted using 200 1-day-old Cherry Valley ducks (half male, half female). Ducks were randomly assigned to four dietary treatments with five replicates per treatment and 10 ducks per replicate. Ducks were fed a corn-soybean meal-based control diet or isocaloric and isonitrogenous diets in which 3%, 6%, or 9% of soybean meal was replaced with defatted BSFL meal. Average daily feed intake (ADFI) and average daily gain (ADG) decreased linearly with increasing dietary BSFL levels (
1 Introduction
Duck meat is an integral component of the Chinese culinary heritage. In 2024, commercial meat-duck slaughter reached 4.22 billion birds, yielding approximately 10 million tonnes of meat and generating a total output value of 128.4 billion RMB (Hou and Liu, 2024). Meat-duck production requires large quantities of protein feed. Currently, soybean meal is the main protein source in animal diets, and as its price has risen year after year, production costs markedly increased. Consequently, finding alternative protein sources to replace soybean meal and lessening the feed industry’s dependence on soybean meal has garnered growing attention.
The black soldier fly (Hermetia illucens), also known as the shiny black soldier fly, originated in the tropical, subtropical, and temperate regions of the Americas and is now widely distributed in tropical and warm-temperate zones (Salahuddin et al., 2024). This species can efficiently convert organic wastes, including livestock manure, kitchen waste, and feed residues, into high-value biomass (Edea et al., 2022). It is characterized by rapid reproduction, high feed-conversion efficiency, strong stress resistance (Lu et al., 2022) and no known role in pathogen transmission (Salahuddin et al., 2024). Black soldier fly larvae (BSFL) are rich in protein, lipids, and minerals such as calcium, and also contain a variety of bioactive compounds, including antimicrobial peptides, chitin, and lauric acid (Salahuddin et al., 2024). Thus, BSFL meal is widely regarded as one of the most promising alternatives to soybean meal and fishmeal in animal nutrition (Schiavone et al., 2017b), and they have been approved for feed use and commercial production in multiple countries (Spranghers et al., 2017).
To date, extensive applied research has investigated the use of BSFL meal in broiler production. These studies have shown that appropriate levels of BSFL inclusion in broiler diets can increase daily weight gain or final body weight (Facey et al., 2024), improve feed conversion efficiency (Mat et al., 2022) and enhance carcass weight (Altmann et al., 2018; Schiavone et al., 2019). Furthermore, meat quality of broilers were also improved, including a higher percentage of breast meat (Schiavone et al., 2019), improved meat redness (Leiber et al., 2017), and elevated contents of amino acids, umami and aroma in breast meat (Yalçin et al., 2025). Dietary BSFL have also been reported to optimize fatty acid composition in chicken breast (Fiorilla et al., 2024), increase intestinal villus height (He et al., 2021) and promote microbial diversity (Biasato et al., 2020), and enhance immune (Lee et al., 2018) and antioxidant functions (Dabbou et al., 2018). Across these studies, BSFL inclusion levels ranged from 1 to 15%, and findings consistently indicate that levels up to 10% improve growth and slaughter performance without adversely affecting meat quality (Dabbou et al., 2018; Schiavone et al., 2019).
Although BSFL meal has been extensively studied in broilers, its application in meat ducks remains limited. Caged meat ducks and broiler chickens share fundamental aspects of digestive physiology, including a largely comparable structural organization of the digestive tract and a common reliance on enzymatic digestion within the proventriculus and small intestine. Therefore, the present study aimed to investigate the effects of replacing soybean meal with defatted BSFL meal in the diets of Cherry Valley ducks, focusing on growth performance, blood parameters, carcass traits, and jejunal bacterial microbiota.
2 Materials and methods
Experimental diets
The BSFL meal used in the trial was supplied by Guiliu Group, Xuzhou, Jiangsu. The larvae were reared on livestock manure and harvested at 12 days of age. After harvesting, the larvae were blanched in boiling water for 2.5 min, followed by drying at 50 °C for 4 h and then at 80 °C for 6 h. The dried larvae were subsequently crushed and passed through a 100-mesh sieve, and the resulting powder was degreased using mechanical pressing. On an air-dry basis, BSFL contained: moisture 6.02%, crude fat 8.95%, crude protein 41.35%, calcium 2.60%, phosphorus 0.77%, methionine 0.56%, and lysine 2.15%. Soybean meal was purchased from Yihai Kerry Oils & Grains (Taizhou, Jiangsu). On an air-dry basis, the soybean meal contained: moisture 10.54%, crude fat 1.90%, crude protein 44.2%, calcium 0.33%, phosphorus 0.62%, methionine 0.59%, and lysine 2.68%.
Animals and design
A total of 200 1-day-old healthy Cherry Valley meat ducklings (supplied by Fengda Waterfowl Agriculture & Animal Husbandry) were used. A completely randomized single-factor design was employed. Birds were randomly assigned to four dietary treatments, each consisting of five replicates with 10 ducks per replicate (with equal numbers of males and females in each replicate). Initial body weights did not differ significantly among replicates (
Diets were formulated according to the Chinese “Feeding Standard of Meat Ducks” (NY/T 2122-2012) to be isocaloric (12.14 MJ/kg) and isonitrogenous (17.5% crude protein). The control group (Control) received a basal diet without BSFL, while the experimental groups received diets containing 3% (3% BSFL), 6% (6% BSFL), or 9% (9% BSFL) BSFL meal. The contents of soybean meal in the four diets were 30% (Control), 27% (3% BSFL), 24% (6% BSFL) and 21% (9% BSFL). All diets were provided in mash form; the ingredient composition and nutrient levels of the basal and experimental diets are shown in Table 1. The trial lasted 21 days. Metabolizable energy of BSFL meal was obtained from a previous study (Martı́nez Marı́n et al., 2023).
Composition and nutrient levels of experimental diets (air-dry basis, %)
Citation: Journal of Insects as Food and Feed 2026; 10.1163/23524588-bja10371
The premix supplied the following per kilogram of diet: vitamin A 5000-12 000 IU, vitamin D3 1750-5000 IU, vitamin E 22.5 mg, vitamin K3 1.5 mg, vitamin B1 2.0 mg, vitamin B2 3.0 mg, vitamin B6 3.0 mg, vitamin B12 0.05 mg, nicotinic acid 20.0 mg, folic acid 0.8 mg, d-pantothenic acid 12.5 mg, Ca (as limestone meal) 0.4 g, P (as calcium hydrogen phosphate) 0.2 g, Cu (as copper sulphate) 5.0-25.0 mg, Fe (as ferrous sulphate) 60.0-200.0 mg, Zn (as zinc sulphate) 50.0-120.0 mg, Mn (as manganese sulphate) 50.0-125.0 mg, I (as potassium iodide) 0.3-0.9 mg, Se (as sodium selenite) 0.15-0.45 mg, methionine 4.0-4.5 g, and lysine 8.5-11.0 g. Metabolizable energy (ME) was calculated; all other values were measured.
Feeding management and sample collection
The trial was conducted in a fully enclosed duck house with double-layer net bedding during winter. Each replicate was distributed within the house according to the experimental requirements. The ducks had free access to feed and water under natural lighting conditions. Temperature in the house was controlled using heating fans, starting at 32 °C upon arrival of the ducklings and decreasing by 2 °C per week until reaching ambient temperature. Manure was removed once daily in the morning using a scraper, and routine vaccinations were administered. One-day-old ducklings received a subcutaneous injection of 1 ml bivalent egg yolk antibody solution (type 1 + type 3) against duck hepatitis A virus. The antibody solution was obtained from Chongqing Yongjian Biotechnology. At 10 days of age, a trivalent inactivated H5 + H7 vaccine (oil emulsion) was administered at a dose of 0.5 ml per bird. The vaccine was produced by Harbin Pharmaceutical Group Biological Vaccine Co., Ltd.
On the final day of the trial, after a 12-hour fasting period, two ducks per replicate closest to the average body weight were selected for venous blood collection, resulting in a total of 10 birds sampled per group. Following electrical stunning, the birds were slaughtered by cervical incision and the entire intestinal tract was excised from behind the gizzard for the collection of jejunal digests. The remaining carcasses were used for slaughter measurements.
Growth performance
Feed intake (kg) and body weight (kg) of ducks in each replicate were measured weekly throughout the trial period. The feed-to-gain ratio (feed intake/body weight gain), average daily gain (g/day), and average daily feed intake (g/day) were calculated.
On the final day of the trial, ten Cherry Valley ducks closest to the average body weight were selected from each group. Tibia length and tibia circumference were measured according to the Poultry Production Performance Terminology and Measurement Statistics Method (NY/T 823-2004).
Slaughter traits
Ten Cherry Valley ducks closest to the average body weight from each group were slaughtered in compliance with national guidelines for the ethical treatment of laboratory animals. The weights of the breast muscle, thigh muscle, liver, glandular stomach, gizzard, spleen, and intestinal length were measured.
Hematological and biochemical parameters
Collected venous blood was divided into two aliquots: one was treated with anticoagulant for routine blood analysis, and the other was centrifuged at 3500 rpm for 15 min to obtain serum for biochemical analysis. These hematological parameters included count of neutrophil (NEU), monocyte (MON), eosinophil (EOS), basophil (BAS), white blood cell (WBC), red blood cell (RBC) and platelet (PLT), percentage of NEU, MON, EOS, BAS and lymphocyte (LYM), haemoglobin (HGB) concentration, haematocrit (HCT), mean corpuscular volume (MCV), mean corpuscular haemoglobin concentration (MCHC), standard deviation of red blood cell distribution width (RDW-SD), red blood cell distribution width coefficient of variation (RDW-CV), mean corpuscular haemoglobin content (MCH), mean platelet volume (MPV), platelet distribution width (PDW), large platelet ratio (P-LCR), total protein (TP), albumin (ALB), globulin (GLOB), ratio of albumin to globulin (A/G), enzyme activities of alanine amino transferase (ALT), aspartate amino transferase (AST), γ-glutamyl transferase (GGT), lactate dehydrogenase (LDH), and superoxide dismutase (SOD).
Jejunal bacterial microbiota analysis
Aseptically collected jejunal digests were preserved in liquid nitrogen. High-throughput sequencing of the 16S rRNA V3-V4 region was conducted by Beijing Biomarker Biotechnology to assess microbial diversity and examine significant differences between groups. Total bacterial DNA was extracted from jejunum digests using a bead-beating method, and DNA concentration was measured using a NanoDrop 1000 spectrophotometer (Thermo Scientific). The V3 and V4 region of the bacterial 16S rRNA gene was amplified using 5′-ACTCCTACGGGAGGCAGCAG-3′ and 5′-GGACTACHVGGGTWTCTAAT-3′ primers. The PCR conditions were as follows: 95 °C for 3 min, followed by 27 cycles of 95 °C for 30 s, 50 °C for 30 s, and 72 °C for 40 s, with a final extension at 72 °C for 10 min and holding at 4 °C. Purified amplicons were paired-end sequenced on an Illumina MiSeq platform following a standard protocol. Bacterial diversity indices, including ACE (abundance-based coverage estimator), Chao1, Shannon and Simpson, were calculated using the mothur program (version 1.35.0).
Statistical analysis
Experimental data were statistically analyzed using SPSS 19.0 software. One-way analysis of variance (ANOVA) was performed, and when significant differences were detected among groups, Duncan’s multiple range test was used for post hoc comparisons. Polynomial contrasts were used to test the linear and quadratic responses to increases in the BSFL inclusion level in the diet. Data are expressed as mean ± standard deviation. A p-value < 0.05 was considered statistically significant. Differences in intestinal microbial composition were compared using an independent samples t-test.
3 Results
Growth performance of the ducklings
The weekly body weight, feed intake, and feed-to-gain ratio of Cherry Valley ducks during the trial period are presented in Table 2. At 7, 14 and 21 days of age, body weight showed a linear and quadratic response to the BSFL with a maximum observed for 6% BSFL group (
Effects of BSFL meal supplementation on growth performance of Cherry Valley ducks
Citation: Journal of Insects as Food and Feed 2026; 10.1163/23524588-bja10371
Body size indices of the 21-day-old ducks
The tibia length and circumference of Cherry Valley ducks at 21 days of age are shown in Table 3. Accordingly, tibia length showed a linear and quadratic (
Effects of different inclusion levels of BSFL meal on body size indices of Cherry Valley ducks at 21 days of age
Citation: Journal of Insects as Food and Feed 2026; 10.1163/23524588-bja10371
Carcass traits of ducks at 21 days of age
The carcass traits of Cherry Valley ducks at 21 days of age are presented in Table 4. Linear and quadratic responses (
Effects of different inclusion levels of BSFL meal on body size indices of Cherry Valley ducks at 21 days of age
Citation: Journal of Insects as Food and Feed 2026; 10.1163/23524588-bja10371
Blood biochemical indices of ducks at 21 days of age
The complete biochemical indices of Cherry Valley ducks are shown in Table 5. NEU count, percentage of NEU and MON showed linear and quadratic responses to BSFL (
Effects of different inclusion levels of BSFL meal on hematological parameters of Cherry Valley ducks
Citation: Journal of Insects as Food and Feed 2026; 10.1163/23524588-bja10371
Gut microbiota diversity of the 21-day-old ducks
Using USEARCH, the reads were clustered at a 97% similarity threshold (Figure 1) to obtain operational taxonomic units (OTUs). A total of 487 OTUs were identified in the 9% BSFL group and the control group, classified into 17 phyla, 24 classes, 36 orders, 74 families, 161 genera and 183 species. As shown in Figure 2, the two groups shared 315 OTUs; the control group harboured 40 unique OTUs, whereas the 9% BSFL group possessed 132 unique OTUs. Statistical comparison of unique OTU proportions revealed that the 9% BSFL group had a significantly higher percentage of unique OTUs than the control group (
Rarefaction curves of microbial communities in two experimental groups. CGD, control group diet; EGBSF, 9% BSFL meal replacement group.
Citation: Journal of Insects as Food and Feed 2026; 10.1163/23524588-bja10371
Intestinal microbial OTUs in Cherry Valley ducks. (A) Venn diagram of OTUs between 9% BSFL group and control group; (B) Ratio of unique OTUs. CGD, control group diet; EGBSF, 9% BSFL meal replacement group.
Citation: Journal of Insects as Food and Feed 2026; 10.1163/23524588-bja10371
Effects of 9% BSFL meal supplementation on α-diversity indices of intestinal microbiota in 21-day-old Cherry Valley ducks
Citation: Journal of Insects as Food and Feed 2026; 10.1163/23524588-bja10371
The alpha-diversity results are presented in Table 6. According to Table 6, the Shannon, Simpson, Chao1 and ACE indices of the gut microbiota in the 9% BSFL group did not differ significantly from those of the control group (
Beta-diversity was assessed using non-metric multidimensional scaling (NMDS) performed with QIIME, and the results are shown in Figure 3. The 9% BSFL group exhibited a more scattered distribution of sample points, whereas the control group points were more tightly clustered. Moreover, the centroid of the sample cloud shifted, demonstrating that the microbial community composition was altered by the inclusion of 9% BSFL meal. Both OTU-based and phylogeny-based analyses yielded highly consistent results.
NMDS analysis results. (A) NMDS plot (Bray-Curtis algorithm, based on OTUs). (B) NMDS plot (Weighted UniFrac algorithm, based on phylogenetic tree). CGD, control group diet; EGBSF, 9% BSFL meal replacement group.
Citation: Journal of Insects as Food and Feed 2026; 10.1163/23524588-bja10371
Gut microbiota composition of the ducks
At the phylum level, gut microbiota profiling based on sequence alignment and taxonomic annotation identified up to 17 distinct phyla. As illustrated in Table 7 and Figure S1 in the Supplementary material, the dominant phyla in both the control and 9% BSFL groups were Firmicutes, Bacteroidetes, and Fusobacteria. Compared with the control, the relative abundance of Actinobacteria tended to increase in the 9% BSFL group (
Effects of 9% BSFL meal supplementation on phylum and genus-level abundance of intestinal microbiota in 21-day-old Cherry Valley ducks
Citation: Journal of Insects as Food and Feed 2026; 10.1163/23524588-bja10371
At the genus level, sequences were assigned to a maximum of 161 genera. As presented in Table 7 and Figure S1 in the Supplementary material, Candidatus_Arthromitus remained the dominant genus in both the control and 9% BSFL groups. Notably, the relative abundance of Lactobacillus increased from third in the control group to second in the 9% BSFL group, and this difference was statistically significant (
As shown in Figure 4, compared with the control group, the relative abundances of Lactobacillaceae and Lactobacillus were significantly higher in the 9% BSFL group (
Effects of BSFL meal supplementation on LDA scores of intestinal microbiota in 21-day-old Cherry Valley ducks. CGD, control group diet; EGBSF, 9% BSFL meal replacement group.
Citation: Journal of Insects as Food and Feed 2026; 10.1163/23524588-bja10371
4 Discussion
The increasing consumer demand for animal-derived protein has led to a growing global need for sustainable protein feed resources. Conventional soybean meal is the primary plant-based protein source used in animal diets; however, its heavy reliance on arable land highlights the need to identify alternative protein sources. BSFL meal has attracted considerable attention due to its high nutritional value and environmental sustainability (Salahuddin et al., 2024). In the present study, defatted BSFL meal partially replaced soybean meal in the diets of 1-3-week-old Cherry Valley ducks. We found that 3% BSFL inclusion resulted in ADG, ADFI, and feed conversion efficiency comparable to those of the control group, while duck immune status improved linearly as BSFL inclusion increased from 3% to 9%. In addition, dietary inclusion of 9% BSFL meal optimized jejunal microbiota composition, characterized by an increased relative abundance of organic acid-producing bacteria and a reduced abundance of potentially pathogenic bacteria.
Currently, several studies have evaluated the use of BSFL meal in duck nutrition. Dietary inclusion of 6% partially defatted BSFL meal as a substitute for corn gluten meal in isonitrogenous and isoenergetic diets for 3-day-old Muscovy ducks significantly reduced body weight at 38 days of age and average daily gain (ADG) during the 18-38 day period (Gariglio et al., 2019a). Similarly, dietary supplementation with increasing levels of BSFL meal (4.3, 8.7, 12.9 and 17.2% of the diet) to replace fish meal in Muscovy ducks from 7 to 12 weeks of age resulted in linear reductions in ADFI and ADG, accompanied by an increase in feed-to-gain (F/G) ratio (Nha and Thuy, 2024). These findings are consistent with the present study, in which dietary inclusion of 3-9% BSFL meal as a partial substitute for soybean meal in Muscovy ducks from 1 to 21 days of age linearly reduced ADFI and body weight. In addition, the use of BSFL meal at 3, 7 and 10% as a protein source in low-protein duckling diets was reported to exert detrimental effects on growth performance (Aldis et al., 2023). The adverse effects of BSFL meal on growth performance may be partially attributed to its chitin content. Chitin, composed primarily of N-acetyl-D-glucosamine and smaller amounts of D-glucosamine linked by β-1,4-glycosidic bonds, is water-insoluble and poorly digestible in non-ruminant animals, as monogastric species lack endogenous chitinase activity (Iñaki et al., 2022). Excessive chitin levels in BSFL meal may therefore impair nutrient digestibility, leading to reduced live weight and ADG, and in some cases altered feed intake (Schiavone et al., 2017a). Consistently, dietary inclusion of 9% partially defatted BSFL meal as a replacement for corn protein in isonitrogenous and isoenergetic diets significantly reduced protein utilization in female Muscovy ducks during the starter phase, in agreement with in vitro digestion results (Bonomini et al., 2024). Taken together, these findings suggest that limited dietary inclusion of BSFL meal (approximately 3-4.3%) as a partial replacement for conventional protein sources (e.g. corn gluten meal, fish meal, and soybean meal) is feasible in duck diets, whereas higher inclusion levels may negatively affect growth performance.
The calcium and phosphorus contents of the BSFL meal used in the present study were higher than those of soybean meal, resulting in a linear increase in dietary calcium concentration as the BSFL inclusion level increased from 3% to 9%. Notably, ducks fed the diet containing 9% BSFL meal exhibited shorter tibial length and greater tibial circumference, suggesting a potential effect of higher dietary calcium on tibial morphology, which warrants further investigation.
In broiler chicks, dietary supplementation with BSFL meal has been shown to enhance immune function, as evidenced by an increased frequency of CD4+ T lymphocytes, elevated serum lysozyme activity, and enhanced splenic lymphocyte proliferation (Lee et al., 2018). Consistent with these findings, the present study demonstrated that replacement of soybean meal with BSFL meal linearly decreased the proportions of serum neutrophils and monocytes, while linearly increasing lymphocyte percentage and total white blood cell count. Given that neutrophils primarily mediate nonspecific immune responses, whereas lymphocytes are responsible for adaptive immunity, these results indicate that BSFL meal modulated immune-related haematological parameters and was associated with changes in gut microbiota at the highest inclusion level, in agreement with observations reported in broiler chicks (Lee et al., 2018). The immunomodulatory effects of BSFL meal may be attributed to its bioactive components, including lauric acid, chitin, and antimicrobial peptides (AMPs). Lauric acid constitutes approximately 64% of the total saturated fatty acids in BSFL meal and is converted in vivo to monolaurin, a compound with documented antiviral, antibacterial, and antifungal properties in broilers (Dörper et al., 2021; Ewald et al., 2020). Chitin, the primary component of BSFL exoskeleton, serves as an indigestible fibre that has been observed to exert immunomodulatory effects in avian species (Lee et al., 2018; Swiatkiewicz et al., 2015). Furthermore, BSFL produce over 50 antimicrobial peptides (AMPs) (Zhan et al., 2020), which contribute to bacteriostatic efficacy (Chernysh et al., 2015). Notably, ducks in the 6% BSFL group exhibited lower serum GGT activity and higher ALT activity than those in the 9% BSFL group; however, both enzymes remained within established physiological reference ranges, indicating that hepatic integrity was not compromised. A similar study that evaluated the effect of 0, 3, 6 and 9% dietary BSF meal in Muscovy Ducks diet observed no alteration of ALT, AST and GGT among dietary treatments (Gariglio et al., 2019b). Collectively, these findings in our study suggest that BSFL supplementation modulates hepatic metabolic activity without inducing liver dysfunction, likely reflecting adaptive responses to dietary composition. Furthermore, in the present study, Cherry Valley ducks fed diets containing 6 and 9% BSFL meal exhibited significantly increased serum SOD activity and linearly reduced LDH activity, suggesting potential modulation of antioxidant status. Similarly, Dabbou reported a linear increase in total antioxidant status and glutathione peroxidase (GPx) activity in roosters fed BSFL meal (Dabbou et al., 2018). Furthermore, defatted BSFL meal supplementation in Muscovy ducks resulted in linear reductions in plasma malondialdehyde (MDA) and nitrotyrosine concentrations, indicating reduced oxidative stress (Gariglio et al., 2019b). Collectively, our findings demonstrate that dietary BSFL meal modulated immune function and antioxidant status in ducks.
BSFL meal has been reported to increase microbial diversity and enrich beneficial bacterial populations in the jejunum and cecum of chickens (He et al., 2021). In the present study, the jejunal microbiota of ducks exhibited the same dominant phyla – Firmicutes, Bacteroidetes, Fusobacteria, Proteobacteria, Actinobacteriota, and Cyanobacteria – as previously reported (He et al., 2019). Notably, the relative abundance of the genus Lactobacillus and the family Lactobacillaceae was markedly increased in the 9% BSFL inclusion group. Lactobacillus spp., classified as lactic acid bacteria, produce substantial amounts of organic acids (e.g. lactic, citric, and formic acids), as well as bacteriocins and hydrogen peroxide during fermentation. These metabolites collectively inhibit pathogenic bacteria and help maintain intestinal microbial homeostasis (König and Fröhlich, 2017). Accordingly, the enrichment of these probiotic taxa likely contributed to a healthier intestinal microbiota composition in ducks fed diets containing 9% BSFL meal. Interestingly, Borrelli et al. reported that replacing soybean meal with Hermetia illucens larvae meal in layer diets increased the abundance of chitin-degrading bacteria, including Flavonifractor plautii and Alkaliphilus transvaalensis (Borrelli et al., 2017). Although similar chitin-degrading species were not detected in the present study, we observed an increasing trend in the relative abundance of Actinobacteriota, a phylum widely recognized for its capacity to decompose chitinous substrates (Lacombe-Harvey et al., 2018). The discrepancies between studies may be attributable to differences in experimental duration (4 weeks in the present study vs 22 weeks in Borrelli et al., 2017) and avian species (ducks vs chickens). Nevertheless, both studies consistently demonstrate that insect meal supplementation promotes the proliferation of beneficial bacteria and contributes to the optimization of gut microbiota composition.
5 Conclusions
In conclusion, partial replacement of soybean meal with 3-9% defatted BSFL meal in duckling diets resulted in a linear reduction in growth performance, although ADG and ADFI in the 3% BSFL group were comparable to those of the control group. Dietary inclusion of 3-9% BSFL meal modulated immune function and antioxidant status. Moreover, inclusion of 9% BSFL meal was associated with an increased relative abundance of probiotic bacteria in the jejunum of 21-day-old ducks, characterized by enhanced populations of organic acid-producing bacteria and a concomitant reduction in potential pathogens. Overall, these findings indicate that BSFL meal can be incorporated at up to 3% of the diet in Cherry Valley ducklings as a substitute for soybean meal without adverse effects on growth performance.
Corresponding author; e-mail: 124604031@qq.com
Acknowledgements
This research was funded by the Science and Technology Support Plan (Agriculture) project of Taizhou (TN201918).
Conflict of interest
The authors declare no conflict of interest to the contents of this article.
References
Biasato, I., Ferrocino, I., Dabbou, S., Evangelista, R., Gai, F., Gasco, L., Cocolin, L., Capucchio, M.T. and Schiavone, A., 2020. Black soldier fly and gut health in broiler chickens: insights into the relationship between cecal microbiota and intestinal mucin composition. Journal of Animal Science and Biotechnology 11: 11.
Dabbou, S., Gai, F., Biasato, I., Capucchio, M.T., Biasibetti, E., Dezzutto, D., Meneguz, M., Plachà, I., Gasco, L. and Schiavone, A., 2018. Black soldier fly defatted meal as a dietary protein source for broiler chickens: Effects on growth performance, blood traits, gut morphology and histological features. Journal of Animal Science and Biotechnology 9: 49.
Facey, H., Kithama, M., Mohammadigheisar, M., Barbut, S., Huber, L.A., Shoveller, A.K. and Kiarie, E.G., 2024. Complete replacement of soybean meal with black soldier fly larvae meal in feeding program for broiler chickens from placement through to 49 days of age: impact on gastrointestinal, breast, skeletal, plasma, and litter attributes. Canadian Journal of Animal Science 104: 454-465.
Fiorilla, E., Gariglio, M., Gai, F., Zambotto, V., Bongiorno, V., Cappone, E., Biasato, I., Bergagna, S., Madrid, J. and Martinez-Miró, S., 2024. Dehydrated and live black soldier fly larvae as environmental enrichment in indigenous slow-growing chickens: performance, gut health, and chitinolytic enzyme activity. animal 18: 101239.
Gariglio, M., Dabbou, S., Biasato, I., Capucchio, M.T., Colombino, E., Hernández, F., Madrid, J., Martı́nez, S., Gai, F. and Caimi, C., 2019a. Nutritional effects of the dietary inclusion of partially defatted Hermetia illucens larva meal in Muscovy duck. Journal of Animal Science and Biotechnology 10: 37.
Gariglio, M., Dabbou, S., Crispo, M., Biasato, I., Gai, F., Gasco, L., Piacente, F., Odetti, P., Bergagna, S. and Plachà, I., 2019b. Effects of the dietary inclusion of partially defatted black soldier fly (Hermetia illucens) meal on the blood chemistry and tissue (Spleen, Liver, Thymus, and Bursa of Fabricius) histology of muscovy ducks (Cairina moschata domestica). Animals 9: 307.
Lee, J., Kim, Y.-M., Park, Y.-K., Yang, Y.-C., Jung, B.-G. and Lee, B.-J., 2018. Black soldier fly (Hermetia illucens) larvae enhances immune activities and increases survivability of broiler chicks against experimental infection of Salmonella Gallinarum. Journal of Veterinary Medical Science 80: 736-740.
Leiber, F., Gelencsér, T., Stamer, A., Amsler, Z., Wohlfahrt, J., Früh, B. and Maurer, V., 2017. Insect and legume-based protein sources to replace soybean cake in an organic broiler diet: Effects on growth performance and physical meat quality. Renewable Agriculture and Food Systems 32: 21-27.
Lu, S., Taethaisong, N., Meethip, W., Surakhunthod, J., Sinpru, B., Sroichak, T., Archa, P., Thongpea, S., Paengkoum, S. and Purba, R.A.P., 2022. Nutritional composition of black soldier fly larvae (Hermetia illucens L.) and its potential uses as alternative protein sources in animal diets: A review. Insects 13: 831.
Mat, K., Kari, Z.A., Rusli, N.D., Rahman, M.M., Harun, H.C., Al-Amsyar, S.M., Nor, M.F.M., Dawood, M.A. and Hassan, A.M., 2022. Effects of the inclusion of black soldier fly larvae (Hermetia illucens) meal on growth performance and blood plasma constituents in broiler chicken (Gallus gallus domesticus) production. Saudi Journal of Biological Sciences 29: 809-815.
Schiavone, A., Cullere, M., De Marco, M., Meneguz, M., Biasato, I., Bergagna, S., Dezzutto, D., Gai, F., Dabbou, S. and Gasco, L., 2017a. Partial or total replacement of soybean oil by black soldier fly larvae (Hermetia illucens L.) fat in broiler diets: effect on growth performances, feed-choice, blood traits, carcass characteristics and meat quality. Italian Journal of Animal Science 16: 93-100.
Schiavone, A., De Marco, M., Martı́nez, S., Dabbou, S., Renna, M., Madrid, J., Hernandez, F., Rotolo, L., Costa, P. and Gai, F., 2017b. Nutritional value of a partially defatted and a highly defatted black soldier fly larvae (Hermetia illucens L.) meal for broiler chickens: apparent nutrient digestibility, apparent metabolizable energy and apparent ileal amino acid digestibility. Journal of Animal Science and Biotechnology 8: 51.
Spranghers, T., Ottoboni, M., Klootwijk, C., Ovyn, A., Deboosere, S., De Meulenaer, B., Michiels, J., Eeckhout, M., De Clercq, P. and De Smet, S., 2017. Nutritional composition of black soldier fly (Hermetia illucens) prepupae reared on different organic waste substrates. Journal of the Science of Food and Agriculture 97: 2594-2600.
Yalçin, S., Özkan, S. and Acar, M.C., 2025. Partial replacement of soybean with alternative protein sources: Effects on meat quality, sensory attributes, and fatty acids and amino acids content of breast meat of a local chicken strain. Journal of Animal Physiology and Animal Nutrition 109: 51-63.
