Can mineral supplementation modify the characteristics of young buffalo ejaculate?

This study aimed to determine the influence of mineral supplementation on the concentration of macroelements and microelements in the seminal plasma and the semen characteristics of young buffaloes. To this end, 60 animals were kept under rotational grazing and were randomly divided into two groups: G-Bov (conventional mineral supplement recommended for bovine cattle; n = 30) and G-Buf (mineral supplement recommended for buffaloes; n = 30). Mineral supplement consumption was calculated from the difference between the amount of supplement offered and the leftover bunk, calculated every 28 days. Eight ejaculates from each animal were collected. The means of the response variables were analyzed using the Kruskal-Wallis test, with a significance level of 5%, and Pearson’s correlation was analyzed between the concentration of minerals in seminal plasma and fresh semen characteristics. Animals in the G-Buf group had lower mineral supplement consumption (G-Bov = 83.18 vs. G-Buf = 77.14 g AU-1 day-1, P < 0.05) and had higher ejaculate volume, sperm motility, sperm vigor, and sperm mass motility than did the animals in the G-Bov group. This research presented the concentration of macroelements and microelements in the seminal plasma of buffaloes receiving different mineral supplements. In addition, the study concluded that the physical and morphological characteristics of the semen of young buffaloes are influenced by the formulation of the mineral supplement, which resulted in better sperm quality in the animals receiving a species-specific supplement. Among the minerals present in buffalo seminal plasma, phosphorus is the element that shows the highest positive correlation with semen characteristics.