Effect of Dietary Inclusion of Full-Fat Insect Meals (Hermetia illucens and Tenebrio molitor) for Broiler Chickens: Live Performance, Carcass Yield, Meat Quality, Blood Profiles, and Intestinal Morphometry

The present study evaluated the effects of dietary inclusion of Hermetia illucens (HI) and Tenebrio molitor (TM) larvae meals at 2% and 4% on growth performance, carcass yield, meat quality, blood parameters, and intestinal morphometry in broiler chickens. A total of 1750 one-day-old male Ross 308 broilers were assigned to five dietary treatments: a Control diet, or diets containing 2% or 4% of HI meal (HI2, HI4) or TM meal (TM2, TM4). Growth performance, feed intake (FI), feed conversation ratio (FCR), and mortality were unaffected by dietary treatments. Breast yield increased significantly in insect-fed groups (29.2–29.9%) compared with Control (27.6%). Birds fed HI4 exhibited lower breast pH (5.77 vs. 5.89) and increased cooking loss (29.2% vs. 27.3%), suggesting reduced WHC within acceptable ranges. Thigh meat showed dose-dependent lipid accumulation in insect-fed birds. Serum total cholesterol increased in TM-fed birds with elevated HDL-cholesterol, while LDL-cholesterol remained unaffected. TM meal specifically induced shorter ileal length compared with Control and HI-fed groups. Overall, both full-fat insect meals can be safely incorporated at low inclusion levels without adverse effects on broiler growth, health, or carcass quality.