Research: insects can replace soybean or fish meal in poultry feed

Finding alternative sources of feed for livestock is still a hot topic in the animal husbandry industry A study from the Royal College of agriculture has explored the potential of using insects to replace soybeans used in poultry diets It is said that in less than half a year, the offspring of a pair of insects can cover 47 feet of the earth's surface with food supply and no death At first glance, insects are a good alternative to soybeans in animal feed They can transform useless by-products, such as blood, into odorless, protein rich powders, which in some cases can even exceed the nutritional value of beans However, if the ordinary farmers in the industry can prepare the mixed feed of insects and barley, there may be some barriers across the region The research project is a master's research project by Tristan Bennett of the Royal College of agriculture, which has been published "When considering insects as a source of food, consider the natural feeding habits of livestock - free range poultry tend to eat insect larvae and pupae," says Tristan Bennett Different insect species provide different levels of protein, and their amino acid structure will be very different An important aspect to consider before feeding chickens with insects is the type of insects "A recent study identified 20 species of insects, with crude protein levels similar to those of fish meal feeds, and 28 species similar to those of soybeans," Bennett said Protein is composed of amino acids, among which lysine, methionine and leucine play an important role Here the potential of insects in feed is revealed; some insects, including flies, have higher methionine levels than fish meal feed At the same time, chitin in the exoskeleton of insects has a positive impact on the immune system, which can reduce the use of antibiotics in the poultry industry A study found that the growth ability and carcass quality of chickens fed with insect protein diet were improved Another point is that the nutritional level can be changed by adjusting the diet containing insects To market Although insect protein can be used as an alternative to soybean or fish meal, the formation of a commercially scalable system is unlikely so far But the potential market is huge The UK imports about 3.5 million tons of soybeans a year "This shows that the potential demand for insect protein is great once the legislative barriers are removed and the production can be carried out in a cost-effective way." Bennett said.