A Hermetia illucens, Black soldier fly - pictured in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania.Credit: Muhammad Mahdi Karim/GNU Free Documentation License 1.2
Insect based feed, extracted from the black soldier fly (BSF), increase beneficial bacteria for poultry to boost their health and growth, and reduce reliance on antibiotics, a new study published in the Scientific Reports suggests.
The researchers observed that BSF-based feed enhanced the growth of beneficial bacteria, such as Lactobacillus, in the gut of laying chickens that maintain good gut health and improve the overall output of flocks.
The team from the International Centre for Insect Physiology and Ecology (ICIPE), in Nairobi, set out to identify low-cost, locally available, and sustainable protein sources for animal feed, to meet nutritive requirements and improve poultry production.
“Our study was aimed to ascertain the microbial safety of the insect-based feeds and promote their use,” says Fathiya Khamis, a senior scientist and lead author.
The researchers describe BSF as an efficient agent for waste management that converts organic waste into protein-rich biomass which can be integrated into poultry feed, reducing environmental impact and recycling nutrients back into the food chain.
