An important factor to successful of artificial insemination (AI) in buffalo was the quality of spermatozoa post-thawed. Therefore, research was conducted on the use of lycopene as an effort to improve the quality of spermatozoa post-thawing. This study aimed to assess the impact of incorporating lycopene into both the skim milk and egg yolk extender at varying doses on pre-freeze and post-thawed Kalang buffalo semen. Four Kalang buffalo, aged between 6 to 7 years and weighing 500-550 kg, were involved in this investigation. Semen collection was conducted weekly a 12- week period using an artificial vagina. Lycopene was added to the skim milk-egg yolk diluent at concentrations of 1%, 2%, 3%, and 4%, while the control group received no lycopene substitution. The freshly collected semen underwent macroscopic and microscopic evaluations. Subsequently, the semen was assessed pre-freezing and post-thaw with parameters such as viability, motility, abnormality, and plasma membrane integrity. The findings revealed that the inclusion of 1% and 2% lycopene in the diluent before freezing exhibited significantly higher (P < 0.05) spermatozoa motility. Moreover, the viability and motility of post-thawed semen significantly improved (P < 0.05) at lycopene doses of 1% and 2%. The addition of 1% to 2% lycopene in the extender demonstrated a positive effect on the sperm qualities, particularly enhancing the viability and motility of post-thaw semen from Kalang buffalo.
Keywords | Kalang buffalo, Lycopene, Motility, Post-thawed, Spermatozoa, Viability