Partial Replacement of Soybean Meal with Insect Meal in Layer Hen Diets: Effects on Egg Production and Quality
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.66553/japr.2026.119Keywords:
Alternative protein, BSF larvae meal, Egg production, Egg quality, Laying hensAbstract
A total of 192 and 32-week old Hy-Line Brown laying hens were assigned to 12-week feeding trials to four dietary treatments that provided 0%, 4%, 8%, or 12% of their soybean meal protein from BSFLM, with 48 hens per replicate cage and 6 replicate cages per dietary treatment. The egg production, egg weight, feed intake and feed conversion was recorded every week, while the egg quality parameters such as shell thickness, shell breaking strength, Haugh unit, yolk colour and yolk to albumen ratio were measured every two weeks. Hen-day egg production, egg weight and feed conversion were not significantly different from the control at either dietary inclusion rates of 4 and 8% BSFLM, while yolk color scores were found to be significantly higher and progressively increased with increasing levels of BSFLM inclusion, possibly due to the presence of carotenoid in the larvae substrate. In comparison, 12% BSFLM inclusion significantly lowered hen-day egg production in comparison with control, egg weight, shell thickness, shell breaking strength and Haugh unit, suggesting that there is a threshold at which egg production and quality begin to be adversely affected. The results indicate that up to 50% inclusion of dietary soybean meal protein (8%) in layer diets could be replaced with BSFLM without compromising egg production or quality, and improved yolk pigmentation, but higher inclusion rates were detrimental to both egg production and internal and shell quality, possibly because of the higher proportion of dietary chitin and its effect on calcium utilization.
References
. Maurer, V., Holinger, M., Amsler, Z., Fruh, B., Wohlfahrt, J., Stamer, A., & Leiber, F. (2016). Replacement of soybean cake by Hermetia illucens meal in diets for layer hens. Journal of Insects as Food and Feed, 2(2), 83–90.
. Fu, C., Shah, A. A., Alissa, M., Alsuwat, M. A., Ullah, S., Khan, M. S., & Zaman, A. (2024). Exploring the potential of insect gut microbes for advancing renewable energy production. Journal of Applied Entomology, 148(8), 928-937.
. Mwaniki, Z., Neijat, M., & Kiarie, E. (2018). Egg production and quality responses of adding up to 7.5% defatted black soldier fly larvae meal in laying hen diets. Poultry Science, 97(8), 2829–2835.
. Bingqian, N., Ali Shah, A., Matra, M., Wanapat, M., Ullah Khan, R., Ahmad, S., ... & Kamal Shah, M. (2023). Insect bioactive compounds and their potential use in animal diets and medicine. Entomological Research, 53(11), 429-443.
. Park, J. Y., Kim, H. J., Nawarathne, S. R., Nym, S. H., Kang, D. H., Cho, S. Y., & Heo, J. M. (2021). Comparative efficacy of dietary defatted and full-fat black soldier fly larvae (Hermetia illucens) on the performance, egg quality, and jejunal histomorphology of laying hens. Animals, 11(7), 1972.
. Bingqian, N., Shah, A. A., Ullah, S., Khan, R. U., Khan, M. S., Zaman, A., & Muhammad, K. (2024). Exploring the role of insects as sustainable feed in aquaculture nutrition and enhancing antioxidant capacity, growth and immune response. Turkish Journal of Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences, 24(5).
. Secci, G., Bovera, F., Nizza, S., Baronti, N., Gasco, L., Conte, G., & Parisi, G. (2018). Quality of eggs from Lohmann Brown Classic laying hens fed black soldier fly meal as substitute for soya bean. Animal, 12(10), 2191–2197.
. Fu, C., Shah, A. A., Alissa, M., Alsuwat, M. A., Ullah, S., Khan, M. S., & Zaman, A. (2024). Exploring the potential of insect gut microbes for advancing renewable energy production. Journal of Applied Entomology, 148(8), 928-937.
. Star, L., Arsiwalla, T., Molist, F., Leushuis, R., Dalim, M., & Paul, A. (2020). Gradual provision of live black soldier fly larvae (Hermetia illucens) to older laying hens: Effect on production performance, egg quality, feather condition and behavior. Animals, 10(2), 216.
. van Huis, A., Van Itterbeeck, J., Klunder, H., Mertens, E., Halloran, A., Muir, G., & Vantomme, P. (2013). Edible Insects: Future Prospects for Food and Feed Security (FAO Forestry Paper 171). Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations.
. Fu, C., Cheema, W. A., Mobashar, M., Shah, A. A., & Alqahtani, M. M. (2025). Insects as Sustainable feed: Enhancing animal nutrition and reducing livestock environmental impression. Journal of animal physiology and animal nutrition, 109(2), 280-290.
. Shah, A. A., Totakul, P., Matra, M., Cherdthong, A., Hanboonsong, Y., & Wanapat, M. (2022). Nutritional composition of various insects and potential uses as alternative protein sources in animal diets. Animal Bioscience, 35(2), 317.
