Effect of linoleic acid-albumin on post-thaw survival of in vitro-producedbovine embryos at the 16-cell stage

The effect of addition of linoleic acid-albumin (LAA) to culture medium bef ore freezing on the survival rate of bovine 16-cell embryos after freezing- thawing was investigated. Embryos were incubated in CRlaa containing LAA (0 .25 mg/ml) for 4 days after insemination. A conventional slow cooling metho d was used, in which embryos were cooled at a rate of 0.3 degrees C/min to - 30 degrees C in medium supplemented with 1.5 M ethylene glycol and 0.2 M trehalose. The developmental rate to the blastocyst stage of thawed embryos that had been cultured with LAA-containing medium before freezing was high er than that of these cultured without LAA (P<0.05). However, with fresh, n on-frozen, embryos that were incubated under the same culture conditions (w ith and without LAA), no such difference was found.