HIPPEX FREEZE is a new liquid medium to freeze stallion sperm cells. The liquid medium has several unique characteristics.
The first unique feature is that LDL (extracted from egg yolk) is used as a cryoprotectant.
Egg yolk, but especially the fraction of egg yolk consisting of low-density lipoprotein particles - particles that among others, shield the sperm cell from the damaging action of certain seminal proteins - has until now been an essential ingredient in stallion semen freezing because it offers protection against the freezing and thawing process. The concentration of egg yolk or egg yolk fraction in freezing media differs per animal species and is related to the type of sperm and the molecular mechanisms underlying the protection.
The second unique feature is the possibility to sell the product HIPPEX FREEZE as a powder. An advantage is that powder is easy to transport at ambient temperature all over the world without loss of quality. Furthermore, the shelf life of the product is at least 2 years when stored at 4 °C.
A third unique feature is that HIPPEX FREEZE has an equal or better performance than a standard egg yolk freezing medium. After internal testing, HIPPEX FREEZE was first successfully tested externally.
With regard to motility of the sperm cells after freezing and thawing, HIPPEX FREEZE was found to have an excellent performance.
HIPPEX FREEZE is part of the HIPPEX series semen preservation media that are produced and sold by HuVeSearch bv (Pelt, Belgium; www.huvesearch.com )
