# Bioactive Compounds in Breast Meat of Broiler Chickens Fed with Black Soldier Fly Wholesmeal
## 1 Introduction  
In recent years, the poultry industry has faced increasing challenges related to sustainability, efficiency, and animal welfare. Researchers and industry professionals have explored new food sources, among them, including black soldier fly larvae (BSFL), which contribute to nutrient reuse by converting organic materials of both animal and plant origin into biomass during the decomposition phase [1, 2]. BSFL is a highly sustainable nutritional resource, both for the environment and for conventional feeds used for poultry feeding. Its nutritional value is comparable to that of conventional feeds used in feed formulations [3, 4]. Whole BSFL contains up to 59% crude protein (CP) and up to 34% lipid in dry matter, which are attractive characteristics for functional poultry nutrition [5]. An important parameter is the quality of fats characterized by high concentrations of saturated fatty acids (SFA,such as lauric, myristic, palmitic, and monounsaturated oleic acids [2]. It also has an amino acid profile composed of a high concentration of essential AA, such as histidine, lysine, leucine, and arginine, which are important in the formulation of diets that must ensure an adequate supply of all essential amino acids in each growth phase [6]. In the literature, there are few reports on the effect of the addition of whole BSFL powder to broiler chicken diets on the nutritional quality and functional capacity of meat [7]. The scientific community has contributed significantly to the understanding of the effects of larval integration in the diet from both nutritional and physiological perspectives [8]. However, there is still little scientific evidence regarding the bioactive component content in chicken meat fed these biomasses. Meat and meat products fall into the category of functional foods because they contain numerous compounds that play a functional biological role when consumed [9]. Meat is a good source of nitrogenous bioactive substances, such as creatine, carnosine, L-carnitine, glutathione, and taurine, as well as lipid nature, such as PUFAu3, ALA, C18:1 cis9, and conjugated linoleic acid (CLA) [9]. Bioactive peptides are organic compounds consisting of amino acids that are inactive within the native protein and are released only after hydrolysis, cooking, or fermentation processes [10]. Many functional peptides that exhibit antioxidant activity have been detected and described in meat [9]. Carnosine is a dipeptide synthesized from \(\beta\)-alanine and L-histidine and is mainly present in the skeletal muscle and brain of vertebrates [11]. Its physiological functions are multiple: anti-aging, antioxidant, anti-glycation, and anti-inflammatory [12]. [PERSON] and [PERSON] [13] demonstrated the antioxidant action of carnosine through its ability to chelate metals and eliminate free radicals, preventing and/or limiting lipid oxidation. L-carnitine (\(\gamma\)-trimethylamine-\(\beta\)hydroxybutyric acid) is a bioactive component synthesized from lysine and methionine [14]. Its presence is fundamental in the metabolism of fats; in fact, it transports fatty acids to the mitochondria to generate energy. However, deficiency causes disturbances in the metabolism of fatty acids [15]. Furthermore, L-carnitine has been recognized as having an antioxidant action capable of increasing the antioxidant activity of enzymes, although its mechanism of action is not yet clear. However, it is known that it follows two lines of action: indirect action by enhancing the cellular energy state and direct action by maintaining mitochondrial integrity [14]. Although L-carnitine and carnosine can be synthesized in humans, their dietary intake may be beneficial for maintaining or improving health [9]. Important fatty acids like ole-ic acid, linoleic acid, and \(\omega\)-3 series acids like eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA, C20:5 \(\omega\)-3) and do-cosahexaenoic acid (DHA, C22:6 \(\omega\)-3), as well as the class of conjugated fatty acids called conjugated linoleic acid isomers have been found to have a high bioactive potential [16].