Improving Boer goat semen freezing using poultry egg yolks: A study in the Mekong Delta of Vietnam https://doi.org/10.12982/VIS.2027.005
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Abstract
Cryopreservation is widely used for long-term sperm preservation and genetic resource conservation. However, the freezing and thawing process can induce oxidative stress, membrane damage, and DNA fragmentation, thereby reducing post-thaw sperm quality. This study evaluated the effects of chicken, duck, and quail egg yolks at concentrations of 0, 5, 10, 15, and 20% on the post-thaw quality of Boer goat sperm. Semen collected from four mature Boer bucks was diluted in a Tris-citrate-glycerol extender supplemented with different egg yolk sources and concentrations, and stored in liquid nitrogen. After 72 h of storage, semen was thawed at 37 °C for 60 s and evaluated for overall and progressive motility, viability, plasma membrane integrity, acrosome integrity, and DNA fragmentation. For all three egg yolk sources, supplementation at 15% produced the highest post-thaw sperm quality (p<0.05). Among the three optimal 15% egg yolk treatments, 15% chicken egg yolk resulted in significantly higher overall motility (66.54%), progressive motility (54.67%), viability (71.37%), plasma membrane integrity (51.32%), and acrosome integrity (80.76%), together with significantly lower DNA fragmentation (12.88%), than duck and quail egg yolks (p<0.05). Increasing the chicken egg yolk concentration to 20% significantly reduced post-thaw sperm quality compared with 15% supplementation. Under the conditions of the present study, supplementation of a Tris-citrate-glycerol extender with 15% chicken egg yolk provided the best post-thaw sperm quality and may serve as a practical strategy for optimizing Boer goat semen cryopreservation protocols.
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