The Composition of Diluents used for Freezing Fowl Semen
(gmn/100ml dist. water)

 

Table 1.

Solution 1. Solution 2.
(333 mOs/kg (325 mOs/kg
without without
glycerol.) glycerol.)
Glycerol 13.64 13.64
Sodium glutamate. H20 1.92 -
Fructose 0.8 2.18
Magnesium acetate.4H20 0.07 -
Potassium acetate 0.5 -
Na2 HPO4 - 0.709
KH2P04 - 0.68
Polyvinyl pyrrolidone (M,W,10,000) 0.3 -

Solution 2 was composed after reference to work on pH changes occuring
in solutions as they freeze (4,5). This solution is likely to have
pH 7.3 until the temperature reaches about -15C. Future work is to
be undertaken to study the importance of the pH of diluents at various
temperatures for freezing fowl semen.

Previous wvorkers,and our own unpublished observations,have
demonstrated that the glycerol concentration in the diluent after
thawing must be reduced to 2% or lower before any fertile eggs are
obtained by intra-vaginal insemination; intra-uterine insemination of
senen-diluent, containing higher concentrations of glycerol,Produces
fertile eggs but sometimes the hens cease to lay eggs as a result of
inserting apparatus into the uterus (1, 2, 3).

Our evidence (Fig. 1) shows that glycerol damages spermatozoa in
vitro, and especially rapidly at body temperatures. The precise
damage has not yet been ascertained, but it is suggested that the
damage might be one reason for the infertility resulting from intra-
vaginal insemination of glycerolized semen (with more than 2% glyceroll