ARTICLE 74 FEED & ADDITIVE MAGAZINE February 2024 to prebiotic effect of chitin (Bovera et al., 2015). Chitin in diets also halts the growth of Escolar, salmonella in broiler chickens (Menconi et al., 2014). Hypolipidaemic and hypocholestrolaemic properties of chitin produce leaner meat by decreasing body fat in broiler chicken (Gasco et al., 2018). Feeding grasshoppers to the chickens improved the shelf life of the meat (Sun et al., 2013). Benefits of incorporating insect meal into poultry nutrition: • Insect meal in poultry diets could lead to enhanced developmental performance and feed conversion efficiency. • Utilization of insect meal in poultry diets results in reduced environmental impact in comparison to conventional protein sources (Huis et al., 2022) • Fish and poultry can derive protein from insects, which serve as a natural source of this essential nutrient. • It is cost-effective • Insect-based diets have been introduced to the market to improve feed quality and digestibility. Limitations: • The production volumes of fish meal, high -quality soybean meal extracts and soybean meals are hundreds or thousands times greater than of those insect protein sources • Insect meal might not be as sustainable as other protein sources at the moment • One of the other key barriers for incorporating insects in animal feed is the lower no. of reared insect species • For large scale insect production automated process method of raising, harvestings and post harvestings operations are required • Existence of specific antinutritional compounds, such as protease inhibitors, phytic acids, oxalate, tannins, lectins, and certain insect species limit their use in animal feed and poultry feed • Inclusion level of insect meal lie between in the range of 2-5% or below CONCLUSION Insect meals exhibit great potential as alternative protein source in poultry nutrition due to its nutritional value and cost-effectiveness. Nevertheless, the utilization of insect-based products is accompanied by challenges and limitations. Future research and development could help overcome these challenges and increase the adoption of insect meal as a protein source in poultry feed.
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