Inclusion of Black Soldier Fly larvae in a meat chicken diet has minor effect on caeca microbiota

Abstract

The caecal microbiota composition of commercial broilers is essential to the poultry industry as it can affect the broiler's health and performance (Pandit et al., 2018). Bioactive components of the Black Soldier Fly larvae (BSFL) include antimicrobial peptides, chitin, and lauric acid. They are known to modulate the immune system of broiler chickens (De Souza-Vilela et al., 2020). This study aimed to investigate the impact of BSFL on the diversity, structure, and composition of the caecal microbiota of broilers fed up to 20% BSFL, partially replacing soybean meal and soybean oil in a commercial diet. A total of 400 Ross 308 male broilers were randomly assigned to 5 dietary treatments with 8 replicates in each treatment diet divided into 3 phases: starter (day 2 to 10), grower (day 11 to 21), and finisher (day 22 to 42). The inclusion levels of BSFL were 0, 2.5, 5, 7.5, and 10% in the starter diet followed by 0, 5, 10, 15, and 20% in the grower and finisher diets.