Effect of Dietary Dried Mealworm Inclusion as Replacement of Soybean Meal on Growth Performance, Nutrient Digestibility, and Fatty Acid Profile of Broilers

Poultry meat represents a major source of high-quality animal protein worldwide, while the search for sustainable alternative protein ingredients has intensified in recent years. Among these alternatives, edible insects such as mealworms have emerged as promising feed resources. This study evaluated the effects of dietary inclusion of dried mealworm (DMW) meal on growth performance, nutrient digestibility, and blood fatty acid composition in broiler chickens. A total of 120 one-day-old broiler chicks were randomly assigned to four dietary treatments: a control diet without DMW (T1) and diets containing 10% (T2), 15% (T3), and 20% (T4) DMW meal. Each treatment consisted of three replicates with ten birds per replicate, and the feeding trial lasted 42 days.Growth performance parameters, including body weight gain (BWG), feed intake (FI), and feed conversion ratio (FCR), were recorded weekly. Broilers fed DMW-supplemented diets exhibited significant improvements (p < 0.05) in BWG and FCR compared with the control group. At day 42, birds receiving 20% DMW achieved the highest final body weight (2180.5 ± 30.2 g), while FCR improved from 1.65 in the control to 1.55 in the highest inclusion group. Apparent nutrient digestibility was assessed using total fecal collection at days 28–29, revealing significant increases (p < 0.05) in the digestibility of dry matter, crude fiber, ether extract, and crude protein in DMW-fed birds, with the greatest values observed in the 20% DMW group. Blood fatty acid profiling at day 42 demonstrated a favorable shift in lipid composition associated with DMW inclusion. Saturated fatty acid concentrations declined progressively, whereas monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fatty acids, including omega-6 and omega-3 fatty acids, increased significantly (p < 0.05) compared with the control diet. In conclusion, dietary incorporation of dried mealworm meal up to 20% enhanced growth performance, improved nutrient utilization, and beneficially modulated blood fatty acid profiles in broiler chickens. These findings support the use of DMW as a sustainable, nutritionally valuable, and functional protein source for broiler feed formulations. Keywords: Broiler chickens; Dried mealworm meal; Growth performance; Nutrient digestibility; Fatty acid profile.