In recent years, interest has grown among poultry nutritionists in using alternative protein sources, such as insect meal, to meet the protein requirements of poultry due to sustainability concerns surrounding traditional protein sources such as soybean and fish meal. Insect meal can be produced from different insects, including black soldier fly, mealworms, and house crickets, and its nutrient composition varies depending on the insect species, the substrate they are reared on, and the production method. This review article provides an updated overview of insect meal as a new form of protein concentrate in poultry diets, including its nutritional value, advantages, challenges, and future prospects. Insect meal has been shown to be a rich source of protein, amino acids (lysine, methionine), and minerals (calcium, phosphorus, zinc), with a high digestibility rate, making it a valuable feed ingredient for poultry production. Additionally, using insect meal in poultry feed could reduce the cost of production and the environmental impact on the industry. Furthermore, the use of insect meal has the potential to improve the growth performance and meat quality of poultry species. However, several challenges related to large-scale insect production, legal regulatory frameworks, and consumer acceptance need to be addressed. Future research and development could help overcome these challenges and increase the adoption of insects as a potential source of protein in poultry feed. This review provides an updated and comprehensive overview of insects as a potential source of protein for poultry nutrition and highlights the possible perspectives of insect meal to contribute to a more sustainable and efficient poultry production system. While challenges remain, the utilization of insect meal in poultry feed has the capability to enhance the sustainability and efficiency in the poultry industry. Hence, insect meal emerges as a highly encouraging protein alternative, offering sustainable prospects for its utilization within the poultry sector. However, advancements in insect production technology and efficiency have the potential to raise the production scale while lowering prices, making insect meals more affordable compared to conventional protein sources. Based on the comprehensive analysis, it is recommended to further explore the practical implementation of insect meal as a reliable and efficient means of supplying protein in poultry nutrition.

The current study aimed to determine the effects of different levels of Zingiber officinale as a herbal feed additive on growth performance, carcass characteristic, serum biochemistry, total bacterial count (TBC), gut morphology, and immunological parameters of broilers. A total of 1500, day-old broiler chicks (Hubbard) were equally accredited to five treatment groups, each with six replicates (50 birds/replicate). Five experimental diets were prepared using basal diet i.e. with antibiotics positive control (PC), 3 g/kg ginger (group A), 6 g/kg ginger (group B), 9 g/kg ginger (group C) and without antibiotics negative control (NC). Group A and C showed significantly (p<0.05) higher feed intake (FI) as compared to other groups. Group C showed significantly (p<0.05) lower Total bacterial count (TBC) followed by group B as compared to NC. Carcass characteristics showed non-significant effects among different treatments. Mean villi length and width were significantly (p <0.05) higher in all ginger supplemented groups as compared to the control groups. Blood serum parameters including cholesterol, triglycerides, and low-density lipoproteins (LDL) were significantly (p<0.05) lower in groups B and C in comparison with the control groups. Whereas high-density lipoproteins (HDL) was significantly higher in group B as compared to the others. In conclusion, ginger supplementation @0.6% in the basal diet significantly improved growth performance and gut morphometry of broilers. It also showed a positive impact on cholesterol, triglycerides and gut microbes. Therefore, ginger could be a better substitute for antibiotic growth promoters.

The current study was conducted to determine the effect of adding black cumin (Nigella sativa) powder (BCP) to the Japanese quail diet on the carcass characteristics and meat quality. In this research, 240 Japanese quail chicks (mean initial body weight 9.15 ± 0.12) were divided into four groups of four replications each. Treatments consisted of the addition of BCP at levels 1, 2, and 4% to the mixed feed and control group without the BCP additive. Compared to the other groups, the group with the 2% BCP diet had a higher live weight (LW), body weight gain (BWG), and a better feed conversion ratio (FCR, p < 0.05). BCP administration had no impact on the carcass characteristics, however, BCP had a significant effect on the thigh and breast meat. The animal study protocol was approved by the Niğde Governorship, Provincial Directorate of Agriculture and Forestry, Turkey (protocol code: E-15018773-050.01.04-75932 and date of approval: 26 April 2021) for studies involving animals. Lower thiobarbituric acid (TBA), pH, peroxide, and total psychrophilic bacteria levels were found in the BCP added groups compared to the control group (p < 0.05). When compared with the control, the sensory properties such as color, juiciness, softness, and flavor were significantly higher in the BCP treated groups, especially when fed the 2% BCP diet. It can be concluded that BCP as an additive to quail feeds had a significant effect on the performance of quails as well as on the shelf life of the meat. In order to avoid health and environmental concerns, it was concluded that BCP can be used as a natural additive to replace synthetic antimicrobials and antioxidants at the level of 1–2% in quail compound feeds.

The article discusses the importance and role of fungal directfed microbials (DFM) and anaerobic rumen fungi (ARF) in ruminants and their metabolic pathways of plant fibre decomposition, as well as rumen fermentation processes. ARF classification, enzymatic activity, impact on rumen metabolism,...

This research was conducted to determine the effect of quinoa seed (Chenopodium quinoa Willd.) extract on the performance, carcass parameters, and meat quality in Japanese quails. In this study, 400 quail chicks were divided into a control group (without quinoa seed extract addition) and 3 experiment groups (4 replicates containing 25 quails in each). Commercial feed and the addition of different concentrations of quinoa seed extract (QSE) 0.1 g/kg, 0.2 g/kg, and 0.4 g/kg were used in the study. During the second week of the experiment, the highest feed intake was obtained from the supplemented groups (p < 0.01). After 5 weeks of experimentation, the highest feed consumption was noticed in the group with 0.4 g of QSE additive. The QSE additive affected the live weight gain values of all experimental groups during 1 week of the experiment. The highest values of hot carcass weight were noticed in groups with 0.2 and 0.4 g of QSE additive (p < 0.01). While the highest value of cold carcass weight was noticed in a group with 0.2 g of QSE additive (p < 0.05). Thigh, breast, back and neck ratio, and internal organs (except gizzard) were not affected by the supplementation of QSE. As a result of storage of breast meat at 4 °C for 0, 1 days, 3 days, 5 days, and 7 days, it was determined that the number of pH, thiobarbituric acid, peroxide, and total psychrophilic bacteria were lower in the groups with QSE as compared to the control group (p < 0.05). In conclusion, the best results of quail performance were obtained with 0.2 g/kg and 0.4 g QSE/kg of the quail’s fodder. While the addition of 0.4 g QSE/kg of the quail’s fodder had a significant effect on meat shelf life and could be used in poultry mixed feed to prevent or delay lipid oxidation of meat.

Soybean meal (SBM) is a significant source of protein for poultry due to its high concentration of protein and amino acids profile. The primary objective of SBM processing is the reduction and deactivation of anti-nutritional factors (ANFs) to enhance nutrient digestibility. However, eliminating ANFs does not necessarily correlate with increased protein and amino acid content. Several processing methods, such as soaking, cooking, and commercial techniques, improve SBM protein digestibility. To sustain feeding qualities, soybeans must undergo heating to remove inherent chemicals that interfere with poultry digestion. However, both under and over-processing can impair meal digestibility. Extrusion heating significantly contributes to protein and starch digestibility while reducing certain ANFs. Thermomechanical and enzyme-assisted procedures reduce heat-resistant proteins more efficiently than extraction methods, producing soy protein concentrate (SPC) and fermentation. These techniques reduce ANFs in SBM, activating digestive enzymes and alleviating digestive tract pressure, leading to decreased endogenous protein deficits. Exogenous enzyme supplementation is a biotechnological approach for enhancing the nutritional content of SBM and certain other protein-rich products. However, different processing methods not only affect protein digestibility but also impact poultry production, gastrointestinal health, and the environment due to higher nitrogen excrement. Ammonia (NH ₃ ) emissions are a significant environmental concern in chicken farming, resulting from uric acid production during protein consumption. It has a negative impact on the environment and the health of birds/humans. This review investigates the impact of several processing techniques on the digestibility of SBM protein and the reduction of N ₂ regarding one health concept. Future research should focus on identifying optimal processing methods maximizing protein digestibility while minimizing environmental nitrogen impacts.