Does Mealworm (Tenebrio molitor) Can be Considered as a Functional Additive in Japanese Quails ̓Diets?

This study was conducted to evaluate the effects of mealworm (Tenebrio molitor) dietary supplementation on egg production, egg traits, humoral immunity and ileal microbiota in Japanese quails. A hundred and twenty female Japanese quails (Coturnix coturnix japonica) were used in a completely randomized design with three treatments, five replicates, and eight birds in each replicate. Experimental diets included: basal diet (without any additives), basal diet + 0.1% full-fat mealworm powder, basal diet + 0.2% mealworm powder. The experiment lasted five weeks, and the quails had free access to the feed and water. The results showed that mealworm supplementation did not have any significant effect on feed conversion ratio of the quails during the whole period of the experiment. At the 5th week of the experiment, egg weight and egg mass of the quails fed with mealworm increased linearly, and the feed intake of the birds fed with 0.1% mealworm was different quadratically. Different levels of mealworm powder supplementation increased egg albumen weight and yolk height linearly during the whole period of the experiment. Adding mealworm powder increased antibody titer against sheep red blood cell in laying quails on 89 and 96 d of age. It is concluded that mealworm supplementation at the level of 0.1% improved egg weight, egg production, al-bumen weight, yolk height, and humoral immunity of Japanese laying quails, so it has the potential to be considered as an organic functional additive in quails' diet.