Protective Role of Egg Yolks From Different Avian Species on the Post‐Thaw Quality and Fertility of Cryopreserved Nile tilapia (Oreochromis niloticus) Sperm

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Egg yolks derived from various avian species have been widely applied as cryoprotective additives in mammalian sperm preservation; however, their efficacy in fish sperm cryopreservation remains poorly understood. Therefore, this study evaluated the cryoprotective effects of quail ( Coturnix coturnix ), chicken ( Gallus gallus domesticus ), and turkey ( Meleagris gallopavo ) egg yolks incorporated at a 10% concentration into a Tris‐based extender for Nile tilapia ( Oreochromis niloticus ) sperm cryopreservation. In addition, the extender was supplemented with 10% concentrations of different permeating cryoprotectants (CPAs)—dimethyl sulfoxide (DMSO), methanol (MeOH), and glycerol—to assess their effects on post‐thaw sperm quality and fertilization capacity. The results indicated that a 10% concentration of DMSO, when combined with each egg yolk type separately, provided the most effective cryoprotective effect, significantly enhancing motility, motility duration, and viability ( p < 0.05) compared to MeOH and glycerol. The highest mean fertilization rates of 48.2% ± 1.5% and 52.6% ± 1.7% were achieved using the Tris‐based extender with 10% DMSO and 10% chicken egg yolk in 0.25‐mL and 0.50‐mL straws, respectively ( p < 0.05). According to the results of this study, the extender containing chicken egg yolk showed significantly better ( p < 0.05) post‐thaw quality parameters and fertility results for the Nile tilapia sperm compared to those of quail and turkey.