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Life sciences · Journal article
Veterinary and Animal Science · July 27, 2026
Encouraging direction, but not yet definitive.
In a 42-day broiler trial, the 4% Tenebrio molitor + 2% Hermetia illucens (TM4-HI2) mixture significantly improved body weight gain and final body weight, and both insect blends increased breast yield and altered intestinal morphometry. The TM4-HI2 group also showed elevated blood HDL without increasing LDL. These results suggest combined insect meals can be incorporated safely at 6% total inclusion, though the practical and economic significance remains unclear and the finding is limited to one inclusion ratio and species combination.
Randomized controlled trial. One thousand fifty male Ross 308 broiler chickens, one-day-old at entry, assigned across three dietary treatment groups under semi-commercial production conditions.. Intervention: Asymmetric blends of full-fat Tenebrio molitor and Hermetia illucens insect meals: 2% TM + 4% HI (TM2-HI4) or 4% TM + 2% HI (TM4-HI2), each totaling 6% inclusion in otherwise standard broiler diet.. Compared with: Control diet with no added insect meals, using conventional protein and energy sources.. n = 1,050. Hungary (Hungarian University of Agriculture and Life Sciences; specific commercial facility not named)..
TM4-HI2 group showed higher body weight gain than Control (P < 0.05) with significantly higher final body weight on day 42 (P < 0.05). Breast yield increased in both insect-fed groups (P < 0.001). Blood serum cholesterol was higher in TM4-HI2 group due to increased HDL, whereas LDL level was unchanged.
Feed intake, feed conversion ratio, and mortality were not significantly different among treatments.
The findings support the use of asymmetric blends of insect meals as a viable feed ingredient strategy in broiler production, with the TM4-HI2 formulation showing particular promise for growth and carcass yield. However, the benefit must be weighed against the documented cost premium of insect meals and the shortening of intestinal segments, whose functional significance requires further investigation.
A sound single-site randomized controlled trial with adequate sample size and multiple endpoints shows that an asymmetric blend of insect meals improves growth and carcass traits in broilers, but the result is limited to a specific formulation and intermediate inclusion rate (6% total), requires replication, and involves surrogate endpoints for practical feed economics.
As stated by the source record.
Quoted from the source exactly as published.
The findings support the use of asymmetric blends of insect meals as a viable feed ingredient strategy in broiler production, with the TM4-HI2 formulation showing particular promise for growth and carcass yield. However, the benefit must be weighed against the documented cost premium of insect meals and the shortening of intestinal segments, whose functional significance requires further investigation.
Graded across the dimensions that decide whether you should act, each from what the source actually supports. There is no single score, and where a dimension was not assessed it says so.
The present study is the first to investigate the effect of asymmetric mixtures of Tenebrio molitor (TM) and Hermetia illucens (HI) meals (2:4 and 4:2) on growth performance, carcass traits, meat quality, blood parameters, and intestinal morphometry in broiler chickens. A total of 1050 one-day-old male Ross 308 broilers were assigned to three isoenergetic and isonitrogenous diets for 42 days (14 pens/treatment, 25 birds/pen): a control diet (Control), 2% TM+4% HI (TM2-HI4), or 4% TM+2% HI (TM4-HI2). Over the trial, birds fed TM4-HI2 mixture showed higher body weight gain (BWG) than the Control (P< 0.05), resulting in significantly higher final body weight (BW) on day 42 (P< 0.05). Feed intake (FI), feed conversion ratio (FCR), and mortality was not significantly different among treatments. Breast yield increased in both insect-fed groups (P< 0.001). Breast meat lightness ( L *) was higher in TM4-HI2 than TM2-HI4 group (P< 0.05). Cooking loss (CL) was higher in TM2-HI4 group than Control (P< 0.05). Thigh meat fat content increased in both insect-fed groups (P< 0.001). Blood serum cholesterol was higher in TM4-HI2 group due to increased HDL, whereas LDL level was unchanged. TM4-HI2 group shorten small intestine and ileum lengths (P< 0.01), while cecal length was reduced in TM2-HI4 group (P< 0.05). The dietary inclusion of asymmetric TM-HI mixtures improved growth performance, enhanced breast yield, and altered intestinal morphology, indicating that combined TM and HI meals can be safely and effectively used in broiler diets, particularly the TM4-HI2 mixture.
Taken from the source record, never inferred. Follow any of these and new work involving them reaches your briefing.