Pre-cooling of boar semen before transport in a hot environment enhances biosafety
In a changing climate, the increase in temperature of boar semen doses during shipping to sow farms is a concern. Temperatures above the recommended storage range of 16–18°C for boar semen may compromise sperm quality due to bacterial growth and heat stress. The aim was to investigate whether coolin...
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| Main Authors: | , , , , |
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
Frontiers Media S.A.
2025-07-01
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| Series: | Frontiers in Microbiology |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fmicb.2025.1611562/full |
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| Summary: | In a changing climate, the increase in temperature of boar semen doses during shipping to sow farms is a concern. Temperatures above the recommended storage range of 16–18°C for boar semen may compromise sperm quality due to bacterial growth and heat stress. The aim was to investigate whether cooling semen doses to 5°C prior to simulated transport at an environmental temperature of 30°C could inhibit bacterial growth and maintain sperm quality. Extended semen was treated in three variants: with and without pre-cooling to 5°C before simulated transport the next day at 30°C, and a control held stationary at 17°C. Transport vibration was simulated by shaking the semen doses for 6 h on an orbital shaker. Thereafter, all samples were stored at 17°C for 144 h. Pre-cooling efficiently delayed exponential microbial growth in samples spiked with resistant bacterial species. Although sperm motility was reduced by ~13 % in the pre-cooled samples, minimum quality requirements were fulfilled. Sperm membrane and mitochondrial membrane potential were not affected by the treatment. In conclusion, pre-cooling of semen before transport in a hot environment enhances biosafety of semen doses, while maintaining quality standards for use in artificial insemination. |
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| ISSN: | 1664-302X |