Duck egg yolk in extender improves the freezability of buffalo bull spermatozoa

We investigated the use of duck egg yolk (DEY), Guinea fowl egg yolk (GFEY) and Indian indigenous hen (Desi) egg yolk (IDEY) in extender for improving the post-thaw quality of buffalo (Bubalus bubalis) bull spermatozoa, and compared it with commercial hen egg yolk (CHEY; control). For this purpose, two consecutive ejaculates of semen from each of two Nili–Ravi buffalo bulls were collected on 1 day each week for 5 weeks (replicates; n = 5) with artificial vagina (42 °C). Split pooled ejaculates, were diluted in tris-citric acid glycerol extender containing either DEY or GFEY or IDEY or CHEY at 37 °C. Extended semen was cooled to 4 °C in 2 h and equilibrated for 4 h at 4 °C. Cooled semen was then filled in 0.5 ml straws at 4 °C and frozen in programmable cell freezer. Thawing of semen was performed at 37 °C for 30 s. Sperm motility, plasma membrane integrity and sperm morphology (acrosome integrity, head, mid-piece and tail abnormalities) of each semen sample were assessed at 0, 3 and 6 h after thawing and incubation at 37 °C. Visual motility (%) and percentage of intact plasma membranes assessed at 6 h post-thaw of buffalo bull spermatozoa were highest (P < 0.05) due to DEY as compared to GFEY, IDEY and control. The percentage of spermatozoa with normal acrosomes at 0, 3 and 6 h post-thaw was highest (P < 0.05) in DEY extender than GFEY, IDEY and CHEY. Sperm tail abnormalities (%) observed at 0, 3 and 6 h post-thaw in samples cryopreserved with freezing extender having DEY were lower (P < 0.05) as compared to extender containing GFEY, IDEY and CHEY. In conclusion, DEY compared to other avian yolks in extender improves the frozen-thawed quality of buffalo bull spermatozoa.