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Presently, there has been a noticeable rise in the consumption of poultry meat within the general population, particularly focusing on poultry sourced from alternative rearing systems as opposed to intensive ones. This study evaluated the impact of incorporating house cricket (Acheta domesticus,AD) larvae meal into the diet of 2 slow-growing chicken strains on their carcass traits and meat quality. A total of 256 one-day-old male chicks were utilized, with 128 belonging to the Red (R) strain and 128 to the Naked Neck (NN) strain. Chicks from each strain were randomly assigned to 16 replicates of 8 chicks each. Eight replicates were allocated to 2 distinct treatments (n=64chicks/treatment) based on the diet employed: the control treatments for the Red (R-C) and Naked Neck (NN-C) strains were fed soybean meal, while the other 2 treatments were fed AD meal (R-AD and NN-AD). Three different rations were used throughout the growth cycle of the animals, tailored to meet the nutritional needs of the birds. All chickens were slaughtered at 95 d of age, and eight chickens per treatment were randomly chosen to assess carcass traits and meat quality. Near-infrared reflectance spectroscopy (NIRS) was employed to classify meat based on the feed and the chick strain, achieving a correct discrimination of 100% of the samples. The carcass traits exhibited significant alterations due to the inclusion of insect larval meal in the diet, resulting in reduced values across all parameters for chickens consuming AD meal, irrespective of genotype. The pH and cooking losses were generally higher for chicks fed cricket meal, as occurred with moisture. However, protein content was lower in the meat of chicks consuming cricket meal. Fat content showed lower values for NN chickens. There were minimal differences in the fatty acid profile, with lower C18:3n-3 values for chickens fed cricket meal. Therefore, including Acheta domesticusmeal in the diets of slow-growing chick strains is a viable alternative to replace soybean meal. It provides meat quality characteristics comparable to those obtained in conventional systems.

Sustainable poultry meat production involves the use of slow-growing chick strains and the utilization of new protein sources as an alternative to the current monopoly of soybean meal. In this scenario, a study was conducted to assess the effect of replacing soybean meal with domestic cricket (Acheta domesticus) meal on the developing cycle of slow-growing chicks. To this end, a total of 128 one-day-old male chicks (Colorield) were randomly assigned into 16 experimental units, each consisting of eight chicks, which in turn were grouped into two groups fed isoproteic and isoenergetic diets in which the protein source differed: the control group (C) fed soybean meal and the Acheta group (AD) fed Acheta domesticusinsect meal as the main protein source. Chicks were slaughtered at 95 days of age. Three different diets (F1, F2 and F3) were used for each experimental group according to the nutritional needs of the birds during their growth. The F1 diet (1-29 d) resulted in higher feed and water intake and higher body weight gain for group C, but a lower feed conversion rate. On the contrary, during F2 (29-60 d) no differences in productive performances were observed between the two groups, except for a higher water intake for group C. Finally, during the period corresponding to diet F3 (60-95 d) there were only differences in feed intake, which was higher for the AD group. In conclusion, the substitution of soybean meal for Acheta domesticusmeal caused a decrease in feed intake during the first month and consequently a lower body weight. During the first four weeks of life of the chicks, a partial replacement of soybean meal may be recommended, since high inclusions of A. domesticusmeal in this period seem to be detrimental in young chicks. Given the absence of relevant differences in productive performances between both groups, it could be concluded that the use of A. domesticuscricket meal can be a potential protein alternative to soybean meal.