Frozen Bovine Semen - Types of Semen Packaging

Types of Semen Packaging

Semen in the early days of artificial insemination was delivered everyday to technicians by bull studs as semen was not frozen at this point. It was not until the addition of glycerol to semen extenders that semen could be frozen. In those early days semen was extended by bulls stud in to a type of bottle, or test tube, kept at low temperatures, and delivered to technicians usually everyday. The freezing process was discovered by a man named Polge. It was placed in containers called glass ampules, sealed, frozen in dry ice and alcohol and kept in that type of solution until it was needed for insemination. Later the liquid nitrogen refrigerator was invented by Union Carbide with money given to them by John Rockefeller Prentice, who used it exclusively for his bull stud before a number of years later giving it to the entire A.I. industry at no charge or royalty. Liquid nitrogen temperature is 320 degrees below zero, thus almost an absolute temperature that allows very little deterioration of bovine semen. It is also a safe product as it is not flammable. The ampules were fastened to a cane which was placed inside the canister. When the technician needs to inseminate the cow he merely opens the tank, pulls up the desired canister, selects the cane and puts the ampule in a water bath usually of an ice cube and water mixture. The ampule thaws for several minutes and the top is broken off by either the ampule being pre-scribed or cut with a scribe. Then the semen is drawn up into a pipette. A polybulb or syringe is attached to the end of the pipette to facilitate this.

Other semen packages that have been tried include the "Magic Wand" developed by Badger Breeders Co-op (mid-1960s). This was a frozen pipette that contained about .75 cc of extended semen. With the use of a connector and adapter which had a syringe or rubber bulb attached it was air thawed or thawed in the cow. The frozen polybulb was another semen package that had some usage. Semen was actually placed in a plastic polybulb and frozen on canes. The polybulb was thawed, sealed end cut, and attached to a pipette. The semen expelled through the pipette. There were several size of ampules used during the early days. The 1cc ampules were used by Curtiss Breeding Service, .75cc ampules were used by Tri-State Breeders Co-op, and the .50cc ampules were almost excursively used by American Breeders Service. The .75 and 1cc ampules were usually attached 6 to a metal cane. The .50 cc ampules were attached 8 per cane.