Breaking down barriers: live or dehydrated dietary whole black soldier fly larvae supplementation in slow growing chickens preserve meat quality and sensory traits.

This study investigated the effects of supplementing the diet of a slow-growing autochthonous chicken breed with dehydrated or live Black Soldier Fly Larvae (BSFL) on meat quality and sensory attributes. The research, conducted at the University of Turin, Italy, involved 144 male birds distributed in three experimental groups. The control group (C) was fed a basal diet in which soybean meal was completely substituted with alternative ingredients. The 2 experimental groups were administered a diet identical to the control group but supplemented with either whole dehydrated black soldier fly larvae (DL) or whole live black soldier fly larvae (LL) at a level equal to 5% expected daily feed intake of dry matter. We evaluated the following parameters: nutrient intake, slaughtering performance, physical and nutritional meat quality, fatty acid composition, proteomics, and sensory characteristics. The results demonstrated BSFL supplementation to have no detrimental effects on overall meat quality or sensory attributes. Specifically, there were no significant differences in physical meat quality parameters, nutritional composition, lipid oxidation, or protein digestibility between control and BSFL-fed groups. Fatty acid analysis revealed higher concentrations of lauric and myristic acids in BSFL-fed chicken breast (p < 0.005), suggesting potential nutritional benefits from the supplement. The proteomic analysis also showed no significant differences in the expression of abundant proteins in the breast meat between groups, indicating minimal physiological impact of BSFL supplementation. Overall, this study provides reassurance to consumers and industries about the suitability of BSFL as a sustainable feed supplement for poultry that also offers potential benefits in terms of optimizing the fatty acid profile of chicken meat.

Insect live larvae as a new nutritional model in duck: effects on gut health.

BACKGROUND: This study aimed to evaluate the effects of Hermetia illucens (Black soldier fly-BSF) and Tenebrio molitor (Yellow mealworm-YMW) live larvae as a new nutritional model on duck's gut health, considering gut histomorphometry, mucin composition, cytokines transcription levels, and microbiota. A total of 126, 3-days-old, females Muscovy ducks were randomly allotted to three dietary treatments (6 replicates/treatment, 7 birds/pen): (i) C: basal diet; (ii) BSF: C + BSF live larvae; (iii) YMW: C + YMW live larvae. BSF and YMW live larvae were administered on top of the basal diet, based on the 5% of the expected daily feed intake. The live weight, average daily gain, average daily feed intake and feed conversion ratio were evaluated for the whole experimental period. On day 52, 12 ducks/treatment (2 birds/replicate) were slaughtered and samples of duodenum, jejunum, ileum, spleen, liver, thymus and bursa of Fabricius were collected for histomorphometry. Mucin composition was evaluated in the small intestine through histochemical staining while jejunal MUC-2 and cytokines transcription levels were evaluated by rt-qPCR. Cecal microbiota was also analyzed by means of 16 S rRNA gene sequencing. RESULTS: Birds' growth performance and histomorphometry were not influenced by diet, with a proximo-distal decreasing gradient from duodenum to ileum (p < 0.001), respecting the physiological gut development. Mucin staining intensity and MUC-2 gene expression did not vary among dietary treatments, even though mucin intensity increased from duodenum to ileum, according to normal gut mucus physiology (p < 0.001). Regarding local immune response, IL-6 was higher in YMW group when compared to the other groups (p = 0.009). Insect live larvae did not affect cecal microbiota diversity, but BSF and YMW groups showed a higher presence of Helicobacter, Elusimicrobium, and Succinatimonas and a lower abundance of Coriobacteriaceae and Phascolarctobacterium compared to C birds (p < 0.05). CONCLUSIONS: The use of BSF and YMW live larvae as new nutritional model did not impair gut development and mucin composition of Muscovy ducks, but slightly improved the intestinal immune status and the microbiota composition by enhancing regulatory cytokine IL-6 and by increasing minor Operational Taxonomic Units (OTUs) involved in short-chain fatty acids production.

Towards a Cardoon (Cynara cardunculus var. altilis)-Based Biorefinery: A Case Study of Improved Cell Cultures via Genetic Modulation of the Phenylpropanoid Pathway.

Cultivated cardoon (Cynara cardunculus var. altilis L.) is a promising candidate species for the development of plant cell cultures suitable for large-scale biomass production and recovery of nutraceuticals. We set up a protocol for Agrobacterium tumefaciens-mediated transformation, which can be used for the improvement of cardoon cell cultures in a frame of biorefinery. As high lignin content determines lower saccharification yields for the biomass, we opted for a biotechnological approach, with the purpose of reducing lignin content; we generated transgenic lines overexpressing the Arabidopsis thaliana MYB4 transcription factor, a known repressor of lignin/flavonoid biosynthesis. Here, we report a comprehensive characterization, including metabolic and transcriptomic analyses of AtMYB4 overexpression cardoon lines, in comparison to wild type, underlining favorable traits for their use in biorefinery. Among these, the improved accessibility of the lignocellulosic biomass to degrading enzymes due to depletion of lignin content, the unexpected increased growth rates, and the valuable nutraceutical profiles, in particular for hydroxycinnamic/caffeoylquinic and fatty acids profiles.

Effect of Different Percentage of Camelina sativa Cake in Laying Hens Diet: Performance, Welfare, and Eggshell Quality.

Although camelina [Camelina sativa (L.) Crantz] is a good source of protein, antioxidants, and polyunsaturated fatty acids, its antinutritional compounds limit its use in animal feeding. The aim of this study was to verify the effect of feeding laying hens with up to 20% of camelina cake from a breeding line containing a low level of glucosinolates on performance, welfare, and eggshell quality. Two hundred and forty Hy-Line® hens from 18 to 51 weeks of age were divided into three treatments: control (C), camelina cake 10% (CAM10), and camelina cake 20% (CAM20). Egg number was recorded daily, while egg weight, feed consumption, and mortality were recorded weekly. At 24 and 43 weeks of hen age, shell resistance to fracture was measured. Our results demonstrate no detrimental effects for CAM10 and CAM20 diets on feed intake, growth performance, and welfare. No difference in egg production was detected among the diets. The significant (p < 0.05) interaction of diet and age factors suggest that the addition of camelina cake, up to 20%, likely protects the eggshell of older hens. Our findings confirm that camelina cake might be an alternative and sustainable protein source for hens.