Possibility of using insect protein in poultry feed

The consumption of poultry meat and eggs is expected to increase considerably in the nearest future, which in-creases the demand for poultry feed ingredients to support a sustainable intensive production. Moreover, the constant improvement of the genetic potential of poultry has resulted in an increased density of the diets, which limits the inclusion of low quality feed compounds. Therefore, the feed industry needs new sources of highly digestible protein with a desirable amino acid composition to substitute other valuable limited protein sources of animal origin such as fishmeal. The phylum of insects includes the largest species variety in the world and suitable species pro-viding high protein and high sulphur containing amino acid concentrations have been identified which can be successfully exploited as feed items for poultry. The aim of this paper is to review the state of the art on the use of in-sect protein in poultry nutrition and the possibilities of insect mass production for the feed industry. Although, legislative barriers for the inclusion of insect meals still exist, there is no doubt that insects have an enormous potential as feed item for poultry.