Published in Scientific Papers. Series D. Animal Science, Vol. LXVIII, Issue 1
Written by Ela Evin TASTAN, Muzaffer DENLI
This study aimed to assess the impact of substituting soybean meal with mealworm (Tenebrio molitor L.) as the primary protein source in compound feeds on growth performance, carcass traits, nutrient digestibility and nitrogen excretion in Japanese quails. A total of 120 one-day-old quails were assigned to four groups, each with 10 replications, and the experiment lasted 35 days. The control group was fed a 34% soybean meal-based diet, while the experimental groups had 1.4% soybean meal replaced with 2.8% or 5.6% mealworm meal. Lowest body weight gain and feed consumption occurred in the 1.4% mealworm group (P<0.05), with mealworm content displaying a cubic effect. The 5.6% mealworm group exhibited significantly improved feed efficiency (P<0.05). Furthermore, mealworm supplementation significantly increased the digestibility of dry matter, crude ash, and metabolizable energy (P<0.001). Moreover, fecal nitrogen excretion and nitrogen retention rates increased linearly with mealworm supplementation (P<0.001). In conclusion, Mealworm can replace 5.6% soybean meal in quail diets, improving growth and protein use as a sustainable alternative.
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