Black Soldier Fly Larva Fat in Broiler Chicken Diets Affects Breast Meat Quality

Insect fat has been well established as a viable dietary energy source that can replace commonly used and environmentally harmful plant and animal fats in livestock nutrition. The use of black soldier fly (BSF) larvae fat in broiler chicken diets resulted in comparable growth performance parameters to those achieved with dietary soybean oil. Thus, there is a possibility to fully replace soybean oil without detrimental effects. This is mainly because the energy densities of the abovementioned dietary fats are similar. However, there is still a need to expand our knowledge about the impact of using H. illucens fat in poultry diets on the quality of the final products, including meat. The results of the present study confirmed that BSF larvae fat affects the fatty acid profile of breast muscle, particularly in terms of n3 deficiency. Simultaneously, no significant effect on atherogenic and thrombogenic indices was noticed. Moreover, insect fat does not impair the physicochemical indices, i.e., color, pH, and water-holding capacity, to such an extent as to limit the choice of the product by the consumer.