Comparative Study of the Use of Insect Meal from Spodoptera littoralis and Bactrocera zonata for Feeding Japanese Quail Chicks

• Published in: Animals (Basel) 2019-03, Vol.9 (4), p.136
• Main Authors: Sayed, Waheed A A, Ibrahim, Nashaat S, Hatab, Mahmoud H, Zhu, Fen, Rumpold, Birgit A
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Bactrocera zonata; biochemical analysis; biological pest control; Carbohydrates; carcass characteristics; Chemical composition; Chicks; Comparative studies; comparative study; Corn; Cotton; Coturnix japonica; Diet; edible insects; Ethics; Fatty acids; feed insects; feeding trial; Feeding trials; Feeds; Females; Fruit flies; Genetic transformation; insect meals; Insects; Juveniles; Livestock; Livestock production; Lysine; Mass rearing; Meals; Methionine; Nuclear physics; Nuclear research; Pest control; Poultry; poultry feed; Proteins; Research centers; saturated fatty acids; soy replacement; soybean meal; Soybeans; Spodoptera littoralis; Sucrose; sustainable feed
• ISSN: 2076-2615; 2076-2615
• DOI: 10.3390/ani9040136

A transformation of current livestock production towards a more sustainable operation is crucial to face nutritional and environmental challenges. There is an urgent demand for more sustainable high-quality feed sources to reduce environmental costs. Insects pose a potential alternative since they can be reared sustainably on food and feed residues. Know-how in mass rearing already exists for insect species used in biological pest control, such as the African cotton leafworm and the peach fruit fly . The impact of a replacement of 50% of soybean meal by and meal, respectively, on seven-days-old Japanese quail chicks was investigated in feeding trials. Concomitantly, the chemical compositions of the two insect meals and soybean meal were determined and compared. It was observed that the insect meals had higher protein and fat contents, lower carbohydrate contents and contained more saturated fatty acids than soybean meal. They also had higher methionine, and had a higher lysine content. Feeding trials resulted in improved growth, feed performance parameters, carcass characteristics, and biochemical indices for both insect meals. Consequently, both insect meals represent a promising alternative to soy in the feed of Japanese quail chicks.