Breast meat quality of organically reared chickens supplemented with live black soldier fly larvae: A multi-level nutritional, proteomic and sensory assessment

Live black soldier fly larvae (BSFL) are increasingly used as environmental enrichment in organic poultry farming, yet their impact on meat quality remains poorly characterised. This study aimed to provide a comprehensive assessment of breast meat quality in organically reared chickens receiving live BSFL supplementation. A total of 240 Label Rouge Naked Neck chickens were reared for 82 days with or without 10% live BSFL supplementation. Breast meat was analysed for carcass traits, physicochemical properties, proximate composition, shear force, fatty acid profile, nutritional indices, lipid oxidation, and label-free quantitative proteomics. A sensory profile analysis was also conducted using 25 descriptive descriptors. BSFL supplementation significantly increased lauric (0.04–1.78% of total FAME) and myristic acid (0.26–0.91%) concentrations (P < 0.001) without altering long-chain PUFA. The Atherogenicity Index increased (0.29 vs. 0.36) but remained within poultry reference ranges, while the PUFA/SFA ratio (0.98–0.90; P = 0.009) stayed above WHO-recommended thresholds. The Peroxidability Index and TBARS were unaffected by dietary treatment. Proteomic analysis confirmed the absence of treatment-induced alterations in the muscle proteome. Sex influenced several traits, particularly lipid oxidation in cooked and digested meat. Overall, live BSFL supplementation in organic production systems did not adversely affect the nutritional, technological or sensory quality of chicken breast meat.