Susfood/CO call 2: The use of live insect larvae to improve sustainability and animal welfare of organic chickens production

Poultrynsect is a research project developed by a consortium of researchers with expertise in agronomy, poultry nutrition, entomology, food and veterinary science belonging to research and academic institutions in four European countries (Belgium, Germany, Italy and Norway). The project has tested the effect of live insect larvae feeding for slow-growing organic chickens to increase sustainability in meat production and improve animal welfare. Insect larvae has been bred on organic waste from the food industry and used as a feed ingredient and environmental enrichment in chicken production. Live insect larvae allow the species-typical behavior of chickens to chop feed and are a sustainable source of protein. The project has studied the effect of live insects as part of the feed on chicken performance (e.g. rate of growth), animal health, animal welfare and meat quality. Consumers' expectations, preferences and eating habits for organic chicken have been mapped. LCA and cost-benefit analysis have been performed to define the economic and environmental effects of insect larvae as feed for poultry. Two feeding trials have been conducted. In the first study where chicks of the breed Label Naked Neck Hybrid were fed with control feed or control feed supplemented with 10% live black soldier fly larvae. Results from this study showed no differences for neither growth rate nor meat quality between the chickens which were given larvae or control feed. Therefor the level of larvae was increased to 20% in the next study. The chicken breed was also changed to Bianca di Saluzzo. However, no difference was found for growth rate or meat quality in this study either. In Norway, we have investigated the effect of feeding with insect larvae on the meat quality of chicken fillets. In a screening of all 336 chicken fillets with an NIR scanner, no abnormalities (e.g wooden breast) were found. There were no significant differences in thaw loss or instrumental tenderness between the groups. We also found no differences in fat oxidation (TBARS) between the groups, but oxidation increased with heat treatment and during digestion. Heat treatment (in a water bath at 70.5°C for 30 min) led to a reduction in water content in the fillets compared to raw fillets, but no significant differences between feed were found. Heat-treated fillets had a slightly higher in vitro protein digestibility (95.3%) than raw fillets (89.4%), but no difference in protein digestibility between the feed groups was found. There was also no difference in amino acid composition of the fillets. A total of 495 proteins could be identified in chicken fillets by proteomics analysis. No effect of feed on protein expression was found in chicken fillets. In summary, we can say that supplementing feed with 10% black soldier fly larvae has no negative effect on the physical or nutritional quality of chicken fillets.

Forskningsprosjektet Poultrynsect har undersøkt effekter av å bruke insektslarver som fôr til kyllinger. Dette har vært et økologisk prosjekt tilpasset kriteriene for SUSFOOD2 og CORE ORGANIC. Restråstoff fra grønnsaksproduksjon har blitt brukt til å produsere Svart Soldatflue larver. Disse har så blitt brukt i fôret til saktevoksende kyllingraser. Forsøkene viste at kyllingene som fikk larver vokste like fort og med samme kjøttkvalitet som de kyllingene som fikk kontroll-fôr uten larver. Kyllingene som fikk levende larver hakket i mindre grad på andre kyllinger enn der hvor fôret var av konvensjonell type. Fordi produksjonen av larver er lite automatisert, var det behov for mye manuelt arbeid. Kostnadsanalyser viste derfor at med nåværende teknologi blir utsalgsprisen tilnærmet dobbelt så høy for larvefôret kylling sammenlignet med kylling som får konvensjonelt fôr. Utvikling av teknologi og optimalisering av produksjonen vil derfor være avgjørende hvis denne produksjonsformen skal bli et lønnsomt alternativ.

Poultrynsect is a research project developed by a consortium of scientists with expertise in agronomy, poultry nutrition, entomology, food and veterinary sciences belonging to Research and Academic Institutions of four European countries (Belgium, Germany, Italy and Norway). The project aims to test the effects of an innovative feed ingredient (live insect larvae) for slow-growing organic chickens to allow sustainable meat production, to improve animal welfare and to potentially meet the consumer demand for healthier and more natural meat products with enhanced palatability. Insect larvae will be reared on organic food side streams, allowing the valorisation of secondary raw materials produced in excess from the food industries, and then used as feed ingredient and environmental enrichment in chickens. Point-source objects (pecking objects and litter/bedding containing insect larvae) will be used to allow species-typical behaviours and maintain animal health, thus resulting in an improvement of birds’ welfare and considerably improved quality of animal-derived food products. LCA and Cost-benefit analysis will be carried out to define the economic effect of such innovative productions and environmental enrichments in the industrial settings. Moreover, strategic researches focused on Sensory and Consumer Science to assess consumers’ food habits, expectations and preferences associated to sensory panel expert evaluation and in vitro digestibility of chicken meat for human consumption will be assessed by the project. In conclusion, live insect larvae effectiveness will be evaluated for their potential to improve chicken performance traits, animal welfare, gut microbiota and bird immunity system. This study will focus on productive performance, mucosal immunity, gut health and meat quality and will contribute to the development of cost-effective and environmental-friendly diets for poultry, aiming at improving organic meat chicken production sustainability.