Microwave-dried black soldier fly larvae enhance growth, intestinal health, and humoral immunity in broiler chickens: A functional feed approach

Vet World Vol.18 July-2025 Article - 5

Research Article

Veterinary World, 18(7): 1840-1849

https://doi.org/10.14202/vetworld.2025.1840-1849

Osfar Sjofjan¹, Ari Ardiantoro², Inaayah Novitri Cahyawati¹, Amalia Iffah Jihana¹, Muhammad Halim Natsir¹, Yuli Frita Nuningtyas¹, and Danung Nur Adli³

1. Department of Feed and Animal Nutrition, Faculty of Animal Science, Universitas Brawijaya, Malang, East Java, Indonesia.

2. Laboratory of Biotechnology, Faculty of Animal Science, Universitas Brawijaya, Malang, East Java, Indonesia.

3. Department of Feed and Animal Nutrition, Smart Livestock Industry Study Programme, Faculty of Animal Science, Universitas Brawijaya, Malang, East Java, Indonesia.

Background and Aim: The global demand for sustainable animal protein sources has led to the exploration of insects as alternative feed ingredients. Among these, black soldier fly (BSF) larvae (Hermetia illucens) have demonstrated significant nutritional and functional potential. This study investigated the effects of microwave-dried BSF larvae meal (MDBSFM) on growth performance, intestinal morphology, humoral immune response, and insulin-like growth factor-1 (IGF-1) messenger RNA (mRNA) expression in broiler chickens.

Materials and Methods: A total of 160 unsexed Lohmann broiler chickens were randomly allocated to five dietary treatments (T0–T4), with MDBSFM supplementation levels of 0%, 0.25%, 0.50%, 0.75%, and 1.00%, respectively. Each treatment consisted of four replicates, each with eight birds. Growth performance metrics, organ weights, intestinal histomorphology, immunoglobulin levels (IgA and IgY), and IGF-1 mRNA expression were measured. Fatty acid composition of MDBSFM was analyzed by gas chromatography.

Results: MDBSFM supplementation significantly improved body weight gain, final body weight, and feed conversion ratio (p < 0.05), with optimal outcomes observed at 0.75% inclusion. Villus height in the ileum was markedly increased in the 0.50% and 0.75% groups (p < 0.01), suggesting enhanced nutrient absorption. IgA and IgY concentrations were significantly elevated in response to MDBSFM (p < 0.05), particularly in the T3 and T4 groups. Although IGF-1 mRNA expression did not differ significantly (p = 0.58), the highest fold change (1.54) was noted in the 1.00% group.

Conclusion: Microwave-dried BSF larvae meal represents a promising functional feed additive capable of improving growth, intestinal health, and humoral immune responses in broilers without adverse effects. The high lauric acid content and bioactive compounds in MDBSFM may contribute to these beneficial effects. While IGF-1 upregulation trends warrant further molecular investigation, MDBSFM offers a viable alternative to antibiotic growth promoters in poultry diets. Future research should focus on microbiota profiling and large-scale commercial validation.

Keywords: black soldier fly, broiler chickens, functional feed, humoral immunity, insulin-like growth factor-1, intestinal morphology, lauric acid, microwave drying.

How to cite this article: Sjofjan O, Ardiantoro A, Cahyawati IN, Jihana AI, Natsir MH, Nuningtyas YF, and Adli DN (2025) Microwave-dried black soldier fly larvae enhance growth, intestinal health, and humoral immunity in broiler chickens: A functional feed approach, Veterinary World, 18(7): 1840-1849.

Received: 24-12-2024 Accepted: 04-06-2025 Published online: 08-07-2025

Corresponding author: Osfar Sjofjan E-mail: osfar@ub.ac.id

DOI: 10.14202/vetworld.2025.1840-1849

Copyright: Sjofjan, et al. This article is an open access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/), which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided you give appropriate credit to the original author(s) and the source, provide a link to the Creative Commons license, and indicate if changes were made. The Creative Commons Public Domain Dedication waiver (http:// creativecommons.org/publicdomain/zero/1.0/) applies to the data made available in this article, unless otherwise stated.