Black soldier fly maggot oil as a sustainable soybean oil substitute: maternal and in ovo feeding enhances broiler chick quality, gut integrity, immunity, and DNA methylation
4 affiliations
- 1Key Laboratory of Efficient Utilization of Non-Grain Feed Resources (Co-Construction by Ministry and Province), Shandong Provincial Key Laboratory of Animal Nutrition and Efficient Feeding, Department of Animal Science, Shandong Agricultural University, Tai'an, 271017, China; Corresponding author.
- 2Laboratory of Poultry Production, Regional Center of Excellence on Avian Sciences (CERSA), University of Lomé, Lomé, BP, 1515, Togo; High School of Agronomy, University of Lomé (UL), Lomé, BP, 1515, Togo
- 3Key Laboratory of Efficient Utilization of Non-Grain Feed Resources (Co-Construction by Ministry and Province), Shandong Provincial Key Laboratory of Animal Nutrition and Efficient Feeding, Department of Animal Science, Shandong Agricultural University, Tai'an, 271017, China
- 4College of Life Sciences, Shandong Agricultural University, Tai'an, 271018, China
Abstract
Maternal feeding (MF) and in ovo feeding (IF) are critical for chick robustness. Black soldier fly maggot oil (BSFMO), rich in medium-chain fatty acids, was evaluated as a sustainable alternative to soybean oil (SO). A 2×4 factorial design was used. Hens were fed for 5 weeks with 2% BSFMO or 2% SO, and eggs were incubated. On day 16, 416 embryonated eggs per maternal group were allocated to 4 treatments, resulting in 8 treatments. On day 17, embryonated eggs were subjected to in ovo injection (0.1 mL) with SO, BSFMO-SO mixture, BSFMO, or no injection. Hatchability, chick quality, growth, organ development, antioxidant status, intestinal morphology, barrier and immune function, and methylation-related genes were assessed. In ovo BSFMO alone improved hatchability compared to SO and non-injected control, independent of maternal diet. The combination of MF and IF BSFMO synergistically improved chick quality, BWG, feed efficiency, jejunal villus height, plasma T-AOC and IgM levels. In ovo BSFMO independently improved organ development, intestinal morphology and barrier, antioxidant capacity, immune function, and expression of some DNA methylation regulators, while maternal BSFMO independently improved the relative weight of digestive and immune organs (bursa, gizzard, intestine), IGF1 / IGF2 , gut barrier genes, and DNA methylation regulators DNMT1 / DNMT3A . In conclusion, in ovo BSFMO alone drives hatchability, while combined maternal and in ovo BSFMO provides synergistic benefits for chick quality, early growth and feed efficiency. Both strategies independently support intestinal development, antioxidant defense, immune function and methylation-related expression, supporting BSFMO as a sustainable SO substitute for early-life robustness in broilers.
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BibTeX
@article{nadiedjoa2026black,
title = {{Black soldier fly maggot oil as a sustainable soybean oil substitute: maternal and in ovo feeding enhances broiler chick quality, gut integrity, immunity, and DNA methylation}},
author = {Yendouhamtchié Nadiedjoa and Xiaojuan Wang and Komi Attivi and Maxwell Ansong Okai and Ahmed Mijiyawa and Clarice Temhoul Maa Maa and Muhammad Faisal Riaz and Felix Kwame Amevor and Min Liu and Haifang Li and Jingpeng Zhao and Hongchao Jiao and Komi Agboka and Hai Lin and Kokou Tona},
journal = {Journal of Agriculture and Food Research},
year = {2026},
month = oct,
doi = {10.1016/j.jafr.2026.103402},
url = {https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jafr.2026.103402},
note = {CC BY},
}
RIS
TY - JOUR
TI - Black soldier fly maggot oil as a sustainable soybean oil substitute: maternal and in ovo feeding enhances broiler chick quality, gut integrity, immunity, and DNA methylation
AU - Yendouhamtchié Nadiedjoa
AU - Xiaojuan Wang
AU - Komi Attivi
AU - Maxwell Ansong Okai
AU - Ahmed Mijiyawa
AU - Clarice Temhoul Maa Maa
AU - Muhammad Faisal Riaz
AU - Felix Kwame Amevor
AU - Min Liu
AU - Haifang Li
AU - Jingpeng Zhao
AU - Hongchao Jiao
AU - Komi Agboka
AU - Hai Lin
AU - Kokou Tona
PY - 2026
DA - 2026/10/31
JO - Journal of Agriculture and Food Research
DO - 10.1016/j.jafr.2026.103402
UR - https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jafr.2026.103402
AB - Maternal feeding (MF) and in ovo feeding (IF) are critical for chick robustness. Black soldier fly maggot oil (BSFMO), rich in medium-chain fatty acids, was evaluated as a sustainable alternative to soybean oil (SO). A 2×4 factorial design was used. Hens were fed for 5 weeks with 2% BSFMO or 2% SO, and eggs were incubated. On day 16, 416 embryonated eggs per maternal group were allocated to 4 treatments, resulting in 8 treatments. On day 17, embryonated eggs were subjected to in ovo injection (0.1 mL) with SO, BSFMO-SO mixture, BSFMO, or no injection. Hatchability, chick quality, growth, organ development, antioxidant status, intestinal morphology, barrier and immune function, and methylation-related genes were assessed. In ovo BSFMO alone improved hatchability compared to SO and non-injected control, independent of maternal diet. The combination of MF and IF BSFMO synergistically improved chick quality, BWG, feed efficiency, jejunal villus height, plasma T-AOC and IgM levels. In ovo BSFMO independently improved organ development, intestinal morphology and barrier, antioxidant capacity, immune function, and expression of some DNA methylation regulators, while maternal BSFMO independently improved the relative weight of digestive and immune organs (bursa, gizzard, intestine), IGF1 / IGF2 , gut barrier genes, and DNA methylation regulators DNMT1 / DNMT3A . In conclusion, in ovo BSFMO alone drives hatchability, while combined maternal and in ovo BSFMO provides synergistic benefits for chick quality, early growth and feed efficiency. Both strategies independently support intestinal development, antioxidant defense, immune function and methylation-related expression, supporting BSFMO as a sustainable SO substitute for early-life robustness in broilers.
SN - 2666-1543
ER -