Colostrum is the first milk produced post-partum by mammals and is compositionally distinct from mature milk. Bovine colostrum has a long history of consumption by humans, and there have been a number of studies investigating its potential for applications in human nutrition and health. Extensive characterization of the constituent fractions has identified a wealth of potentially bioactive molecules, their potential for shaping neonatal development, and the potential for their application beyond the neonatal period. Proteins, fats, glycans, minerals, and vitamins are abundant in colostrum, and advances in dairy processing technologies have enabled the advancement of bovine colostrum from relative limitations of a fresh and unprocessed food to a variety of potential applications. In these forms, clinical studies have examined bovine colostrum as having the substantial potential to improve human health. This review discusses the macro-and micronutrient composition of colostrum as well as describing well-characterized bioactives found in bovine colostrum and their potential for human health. Current gaps in knowledge are also identified and future directions are considered in order to elevate the potential for bovine colostrum as a component of a healthy diet for a variety of relevant human populations.

International audienceThe aim of the present study was to investigate the suitability of the water test and hypo-osmotic swelling (HOS) test for analyzing honeybee semen. In particular, the relationships between these tests of the integrity of the sperm plasma membrane and tests of sperm motility and sperm viability were measured using SYBR-14/PI. To this end, semen was obtained from mature drones (16 days or older) collected from four colonies. The means of the per-drone sperm concentration, sperm motility, and live spermatozoa were 1.47 × 106, 76.0%, and 87.2%, respectively. The percentage of spermatozoa with swollen tails was 92.2% as measured with the water test. With the HOS tests at 50, 100, and 150 mOsm/kg, the percentages of spermatozoa with swollen tails were 94.2%, 90.5%, and 85.6%, respectively, after a 30-min incubation and 92.2%, 90.5%, and 88.0%, respectively, after a 60-min incubation. It was observed that subjecting honeybee spermatozoa to a hypo-osmotic solution resulted in clearly identifiable swollen-tail spermatozoa. The percentages of swollen-tail spermatozoa obtained using the water and HOS tests were higher than the percentages of viable and motile spermatozoa. Similar results were obtained using the water test and the HOS test at 50 mOsm/kg. It was concluded that HOS and water tests are suitable and simple measures of the functional integrity of the plasma membranes of bee spermatozoa, and they may be useful additions to standard methods of semen evaluation in mammals

Colostrum contains all essential nutrients for the neonate during the first days of life, with impacts that continue far beyond these first days. Bovine colostrum has been used for human consumption due to the high concentrations of bioactive proteins, vitamins, minerals, growth factors, as well as free and conjugated oligosaccharides. Processes involved in the preparation of bovine colostrum for human consumption play a pivotal role in preserving and maintaining the activity of the bioactive molecules. As bovine colostrum is a multifunctional food that offers a myriad of benefits for human health, assessing the main processes used in preparing it with both advantages and disadvantages is a crucial point to discuss. We discuss major processes effects for colostrum production on the nutritional value, some advanced technologies to preserve processed bovine colostrum and the end-product forms consumed by humans whether as dairy products or dietary supplements.

Sex-sorted semen is an innovative technology to sustain a dairy farm economically profitable. Male calves generally have a little economic income in the dairy herds; thus, the use of sex-sorted semen is preferred for increasing the number of female calves which are used as replacement heifers afterwards (Cottle, Wallace,

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