Antioxidant status of pigs fed compound feeds containing Hermetia illucens larvae meal

The aim of this study was to evaluate the effects of dietary inclusion of Hermetia illucens larvae meal and fishmeal in a low-protein diet on the antioxidant status and oxidative stress markers in pigs.

The experiment was conducted on 24 pigs divided into 3 groups of 8 animals each. The control group received a basal low-protein compound feed (CP). Animals in the first experimental group were fed a diet supplemented with 3% Hermetia illucens larvae meal, while the second experimental group received 3% fishmeal. At the end of the experiment, serum concentrations of total thiols (SH), disulfides (SS), malondialdehyde (MDA), and superoxide dismutase (SOD) activity were determined using commercial enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) kits. The redox index (SH/SS ratio) was calculated.

In the control group, under protein-restricted feeding, signs of moderate oxidative stress were detected (elevated MDA). The inclusion of Hermetia illucens larvae meal led to the most pronounced positive changes: MDA and SOD levels decreased by 33.2% and 14.4% (p < 0,05), respectively; the SS concentration decreased by 15.6% (p < 0,05), while SH increased by 4.1 % (p < 0,05), which raised the redox index by 23.2% (p < 0,05). In the fishmeal group, a significant but less pronounced improvement in parameters was also observed: a 14.1% decrease in MDA and an 11.8% increase in the SH/SS ratio, with no changes in SOD activity. Hermetia illucens (black soldier fly) larvae meal can not only serve as an alternative to fishmeal for balancing the diet in terms of protein, but also exert an antioxidant effect. The observed individual effects of reducing oxidative stress when using black soldier fly larvae meal need to be confirmed in production trials during scale-up, which will allow it to be recommended as a functional feed additive in the future.

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