Nutritional value of two insect larval meals (Tenebrio molitor and Hermetia illucens) for broiler chickens: Apparent nutrient digestibility, apparent ileal amino acid digestibility and apparent metabolizable energy

Abstract The aim of this study was to determine the apparent digestibility coefficients of the total tract (CTTAD) of nutrients and the apparent metabolizable energy (AME and AMEn) of two insect larval meals ( Tenebrio molitor and Hermetia illucens ) for broiler chickens. The amino acid (AA) apparent ileal digestibility coefficients (AIDC) was also determined. The experimental diets were: a basal diet and two diets prepared by substituting 250 g/kg (w/w) of the basal diet with Tenebrio molitor meal (TM) or Hermetia illucens meal (HI). No statistical difference was found between the two insect larval meals for the CTTAD of the nutrients, except for the CTTAD for ether extract ( P P  > 0.05) for AME or AMEn (AME = 16.86 and 17.38 MJ/kg DM, respectively; AMEn = 16.02 and 16.60 MJ/kg DM, respectively). The average AIDC of the 17 analyzed AAs was higher ( P P