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Standardized Ileal Digestibility of Protein and Amino Acids in Black Soldier Fly Larvae and Duckweed in Broiler Chickens
by
, , and
Chanwit Kaewtapee
1,2,*
,
Hathaipat Thongthung
1,2,
Krittaya Petchpoung
3,
Masaaki Morikawa
2,4 and
Sirinapa Chungopast
2,5 1
Department of Animal Sciences, Faculty of Agriculture, Kasetsart University, Bangkok 10900, Thailand
2
Duckweed Holobiont Resource & Research Center (DHbRC), Kasetsart University, Bangkok 10900, Thailand
3
Scientific Equipment and Research Division, Kasetsart University Research and Development Institute, Kasetsart University, Bangkok 10900, Thailand
4
Graduate School of Environmental Science, Hokkaido University, Sapporo 060-0810, Hokkaido, Japan
5
Department of Soil Science, Faculty of Agriculture at Kamphaeng Saen, Kasetsart University Kamphaeng Saen Campus, Nakhon Pathom 73140, Thailand
*
Author to whom correspondence should be addressed.
Animals 2026, 16(3), 461; https://doi.org/10.3390/ani16030461 (registering DOI)
Submission received: 25 December 2025
/
Revised: 24 January 2026
/
Accepted: 27 January 2026
/
Published: 1 February 2026
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Green Nutrition Strategies for Sustainable Livestock Production)
Simple Summary
Insect meal and duckweed are increasingly recognized as novel feed ingredients that can contribute to sustainable poultry production. Determining the standardized ileal digestibility of crude protein and amino acids is essential for formulating nutritionally balanced diets and evaluating the potential inclusion of insect meal and duckweed in broiler chicken nutrition. Black soldier fly is an insect characterized by rapid growth, a short rearing cycle, and the ability to utilize a wide range of substrates. The high fat content in black soldier fly larvae resulted in greater amino acid digestibility than soybean meal and rapeseed meal. Duckweed, including Lemna and Spirodela, is a tiny aquatic floating plant that represents a valuable source of plant protein. However, its high fiber, tannin, and ash contents can reduce amino acid digestibility. Therefore, black soldier fly larvae and duckweed can be supplemented in poultry diets, but differences in chemical composition and amino acid digestibility should be carefully considered during feed formulation to meet the nutritional requirements and effectively optimize the growth performance of broiler chickens.
Abstract
Black soldier fly larvae (BSFL) and duckweed are potential alternative feed ingredients for sustainable poultry production. This study aimed to determine the standardized ileal digestibility (SID) of amino acids (AAs) in BSFL, Lemna, and Spirodela compared with soybean meal and rapeseed meal. Six cages of eighteen broiler chickens were allocated to each treatment. The crude protein (CP) content was highest in soybean meal (511 g/kg dry matter; DM), intermediate in BSFL (391 g/kg), and rapeseed meal (335 g/kg DM) and lowest in Lemna (185 g/kg DM) and Spirodela (145 g/kg DM). Ether extract was highest in BSFL (95 g/kg DM), whereas crude fiber was highest in Lemna (109 g/kg DM) and Spirodela (171 g/kg DM). The SID of CP was higher (p < 0.05) in BSFL (89.0%) than in soybean meal (82.3%), rapeseed meal (71.3%), Lemna (70.2%), and Spirodela (44.9%). The SID of all essential amino acids (AAs) was higher (p < 0.05) in Lemna than in Spirodela, but it did not differ from that in rapeseed meal. In conclusion, the high fat content in BSFL can enhance AA digestibility, whereas the use of duckweed may be limited by its fiber fractions, which negatively impact the SID of CP and AAs in broiler chickens.
