The swine industry appears to be heading in the right direction in terms of semen extender. Ever since the introduction of PreservTM Xtra in 2006, there have been several other BSA free/antioxidant-supplemented extenders rush onto the market. While this has been flattering in itself, it also shows that ReproQuest, Inc is the innovative leader in semen extension and sperm preservation.
It is important to reiterate the concept behind the PreservTM family of protein free extenders. Bovine serum albumin (BSA) is a common ingredient in many pig semen extenders. It is a blood protein from cows which causes an increased immune reaction in pigs. Interesting, yet very alarming are the facts that a) every batch of BSA is different in terms of composition and b) BSA contains toxins. Therefore, every extender that includes BSA is not uniform in composition from one lot to the next, and it may contain some level of toxins. The harmful effects are not prevalent until it is introduced into the sow. Sperm cells thrive in BSA due to the antioxidant properties, however problems surface in the female. BSA is considered "foreign" to the pig and when inseminated into the uterus of the sow creates a hostile environment through inflammation and an increased infiltration of white blood cells. Knowing this we tested a broad array of antioxidants ranging from natural to synthetics, from seminal plasma extracts to mushrooms and many more. We are confident we selected the right antioxidant. Sperm livability and longevity is not only maintained but the increase in farrowing rate and total born has been consistent from farm to farm and day to day. PreservTM Xtra reduces the effects of sperm aging and cellular degeneration, minimizes stress in the sow herd by eliminating unnecessary post breeding inflammation and it creates a favorable uterine environment for embryo implantation, which is the most likely explanation for the increase in litter size and farrowing rates.
With the instability of the economy and the increased input costs (i.e. corn) the U.S. pig producer cannot afford to be reproductively inefficient. Failing to optimize litter size and farrowing rates is just not unacceptable and with the ReproQuest program, you can be assured of getting "more pigs with less cost."
