MPP Quattro: a filling and sealing machine designed for best semen ...

SpermNotes 

Bovine Semen Production: 

New Options Offered by 

Minitüb 

Over the last 3 years, Minitüb 

has developed a completely 

new product line for modern bovine 

semen production laboratories. 

With engineering and veterinarian 

competence of 35 years, our specialized 

team has concentrated 

on the real needs of today‘s semen 

production: best usage of valuable 

cells, high degree of precision in cell 

quantity and quality determination, 

high level of security in identification 

and full traceability of semen doses, 

MPP Quattro: a filling and sealing machine 

designed for best semen usage 

The MPP Quattro 

is a fully 

automatic filling 

and sealing 

machine 

for 0.25 cc and 

0.5 cc semen 

straws. It simultaneously 

fills and 

seals 4 straws 

per one-second 

cycle which 

equals approximately 

15.000 

straws per hour. 

The MPP Quattro 

is equipped 

with a modern 

touch screen and well-designed 

user interface that guarantees optimal 

machine operation and minimum 

maintenance. Since the first 

machines have been installed in 

The International AI Newsletter from Minitüb 

No. 10/2005 

excellent efficiency of laboratory 

time spent and maximum technical 

reliability. This special edition of the 

Minitüb SpermNotes concentrates 

on technical features of our equipment 

for bovine semen production. 

Additional information is available in 

our catalogs and on our webpage 

www.minitube.de. The Minitüb customer 

service team is available at 

any time for individual consulting. 

the industry, one year ago, the ever 

growing demand and many different 

labs and operators helped to gather 

a lot of experience about the most 

important features of this machine 

from the user’s perspective: 

SpermNotes 10/2005 homepage: www.minitube.de 

MINITÜB 

Hauptstraße 41 . 84184 Tiefenbach 

Germany 

Tel.: +49-(0)8709- 92 29 - 0 

Fax: +49-(0)8709- 92 29 - 39 

E-mail: minitube@minitube.de 

MPP Quattro...................................1 

MiniJet straw printer.......................4 

Volume measurement...................6 

Advances with Andromed ® ..........7 

Intrauterine insemination...............8 

Integrated semen processing 

with IDENT and IDA........................ 9 

Appointment Dr. Sieber................11 

I 

CONTENT 

The unique design of the straw transport 

is a very characteristic feature. 

The star design ensures precise positioning 

of the straws at the various 

work stations, it is wear and tear free 

and due to its low mass the machine 

1

2 

Bovine Semen Production 

is very quickly adapted to 5°C working 

ambient. 

The changeover from 0.25 cc to 

0.5 cc straws or vice-versa does not 

require the exchange of components 

and is carried out by simple 

mechanic adjustments within only 

few seconds: the 0.25 cc straws use 

the small grooves whereas for 0.5 cc 

straws the large grooves of the supply 

wheel are open and the small ones 

are blocked. 

However, the most outstanding feature 

of this machine is the automatic 

recognition of low ejaculate volume. 

The current ejaculate is placed on a 

spring balance which is incorporated 

in the machine. The balance sensor 

system of the MPP Quattro constantly 

records the ejaculate weight and 

recognizes when it is close to coming 

to its end. Then the machine automatically 

initiates a changeover from 

4 straws to 1 straw per cycle filling. 

At the same moment, all three idle 

nozzles and hoses are left open, so 

that the semen from the 3 unused 

filling nozzles and hoses flows back 

into the ejaculate container. The 

remaining nozzle fills single straw by 

single straw until a sensor detects an 

air bubble in its hose. Then the supply 

from the straw hopper is stopped and 

only the straws that are already in the 

Semen bottle with cone-bottom to 

catch the last drop of semen, along 

with holder 

Adjustable scale-platform 

production cycle are finished to be 

processed. After that, the machine 

stops. This procedure ensures the 

complete use of the ejaculate up 

to the very last drop. Practically no 

semen and no straws are wasted. 

How important is this feature? A 

simple calculation shows the eco- 

4 straw operation 

1 straw operation 

nomic benefit: with a normal 4-cycle 

machine, the last 4 or 8 straws are 

not completely filled and have to 

be thrown away. If calculating an 

average of only 4 wasted half full 

0.5cc straws per ejaculate, 10 ejaculates 

per production day, and only 2 

production days per week, with an 

average value of 5 EUR per semen 

straw, the benefit from this feature is 


Selector for 

0.25 cc or 

0.5 cc straws 

Ring for 

selection of 

4-3-2-1 straws 

per cycle 

Small grooves 

for 0.25 cc, 

big grooves 

for 0.5 cc, 

2000 extra produced semen doses or 

10.000 EUR extra turn-over value per 

year. 

The standard operation processes 

4 straws per cycle, but the user can 

also select a software-driven 1 straw 

per cycle operation simply through a 

key provided on the touch screen. 

Depending on the individual requirements, 

the machine is also mechanically 

adjustable to constantly 3, 2 or 

1 straw per cycle which is useful for 

those who want to save filling tubes 

and if only small ejaculate volumes 

need to be filled. 

The design of the machine provides 

perfect view of the complete filling 

process. All 4 straws are exposed to 

the eyes of the operator while they

are filled and sealed. The filling of 

the straws itself, as well as the moistening 

of the plugs can perfectly be 

observed. A bluish yet transparent 

hood is fixed on sliding rails and provides 

very quick and easy access to 

the most important machine components 

for cleaning and maintenance. 

For large semen production labs, 

the quick and easy change between 

ejaculates is an important concern. 

The MPP Quattro is designed to be 

very efficient in this sense: all 4 nozzles 

are situated in one single block; 

and all hoses can easily be pulled off 

with one movement. Also the straw 

hopper is easily removable and can 

already be filled with the printed 

straws before starting production. 

With both straw types the same straw 

hopper is used. 

It is easy to operate and to control 

the MPP Quattro through the integrated 

touch screen which at the 

same time is the only information terminal 

of the machine. The status can 

be observed at any time, even from 

a certain distance: failure reports 

are displayed as simple text with 

acknowledgement option. 


The filling of the straws is conducted 

by negative pressure through an 

integrated vacuum pump. Vacuum 

sensor and vacuum trap bottle with 

500 ml vacuum buffer provide the 

constant negative pressure without 

unnecessary noise. The adjustable 

vacuum regulation includes the pressure 

indicator located with the sensor. 

The filling time can be adjusted on 

the display: this function enables the 

setting of individual filling parameters 

like fast or soft filling. Straw sealing is 

performed with ultrasound through 

the newest Branson ultrasonic sealing 

unit, with worldwide availability for 

spare parts and specialized service. 

The MPP Quattro is controlled 

through a reliable PLC technology 

ensuring very safe and rapid semen 

processing. All electronic components 

are built into the machine thus 


limiting the space requirements to a 

minimum. No PC, no control tower or 

control unit is needed additionally. 

The machine operates under 5°C 

cool room condition as well as at 

room temperature. 

Cleaning and maintenance has 

been made extremely easy. The 

machine operates without need for 

lubrication of moving parts. All used 

filling nozzles of a production day can 

be collected with a special holder 

for several nozzle blocks in order to 

proceed to cleaning and sterilization. 

Daily cleaning of the machine is 

quick and easy. Only 3 areas should 

be cleaned routinely: the vacuum 

trap bottle, the area around the filling 

nozzles and the sealing area. 

Finally: the MPP Quattro may be 

operated as a stand-alone or in 

combination with the Minitüb MiniJet 

printing system as a combined filling, 

sealing and printing machine. Combination 

and separation of the two 

units is done very easily. 

Machine dimensions (without ultrasound 

generator): 

65 x 37 x 46 cm (W x H x D). 

Total weight with all components: 

37 kg. 

Dimensions of the external ultrasonic 

generator: 

20 x 23 x 40 cm (W x H x D). 

Weight: 6.5 kg. 

The ultrasound generator should 

be installed at a distance of up to 

2 meters from the MPP Quattro. 

I 

3

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Easy and time saving for the user, low 

cost for the AI center: 

the new MiniJet straw printer 

Large semen production labs 

demand an efficient and rapid, 

yet cost and labour saving printing 

system for the semen straws. Minitüb 

has chosen the German inkjet specialist 

Leibinger as a partner for the 

new MiniJet concept, because it 

offers a series of important improvements 

when compared to the solutions 

which have been on the market 

before: 

Low operation cost: unlike other 

systems, this printer works without 

mechanical gear pumps to generate 

the pressure in the ink circuit and 

this avoids abraded metal particles 

contaminating and aging the ink. It 

therefore needs no yearly exchange 

of the ink. It is sufficient to refill the 

ink and solvent tanks whenever they 

show low level. As a consequence, 

much less ink is used: a laboratory 

producing around 2 million straws 

per year has a need for 2 ink bottles 

and 12 solvent bottles (including solvent 

for cleaning purposes) per year. 

This corresponds to a yearly cost of 

less than EUR 350,-, or approximately 

0.17 EUR per 1000 straws. 

Time saving: the cleaning procedure 

for the ink nozzle is simple and 

quick. Even a printer which has not 

run for a long time is quickly put 

to work again, because a unique 

automatic closing system for the ink 

nozzle is activated when the printer 

is switched off and tightly closes 

the opening so that no ink can dry 

off and block the nozzle. The nozzle 

plate is quickly removed for cleaning 

if required. 

Ease of use: the Minitüb software is 

user friendly and allows high flexibility. 

The printing text can be chosen 

manually from the data base or by 

reading the barcode label of the 

ejaculate. Data strings are easily 

generated for automatic and quick 

combination of texts and numeric 

SpermNotes 10/2005 

homepage: www.minitube.de 

fields. The straw hopper is quickly 

placed, removed and exchanged 

so that switching from one straw size 

or colour to another is done within 

seconds. The conveyor belt can be 

quickly and without any tool removed 

for cleaning. 

The MiniJet is suitable for both sizes 

of semen straws (0.25 and 0.5 cc) 

and prints with a capacity of up to 

21.000 straws per hour. Several types 

of barcodes can be printed, also different 

kinds of small, large and bold 

characters. The straw print is immediately 

non abrasive. 

The casing of the printing unit needs 

only little space and it is all made of 

stainless steel. Additionally, only a 

small control unit and a normal PC 

with monitor are required. There is no 

need for a bulky control tower. The 

ink viscosity is automatically adjusted 

once per day. The automatic nozzle 

closing system not only reduces the 

need for cleaning, but makes also 

sure that the printer produces practically 

no smell when it is shut off. The 

printing unit itself is equipped with a 

simple to use touch screen monitor. It 

is important to install the printer on a 

stable, vibration free table.

The straw printer can be combined 

with any of the Minitüb automatic filling 

and sealing machines, the MPP 

Quattro or the MPP 133 to a Combi- 

System with the option to use both 

machines as stand-alone any time 

and with only small changes. The 

MiniJet software and the Minitüb IDA 

ejaculate data file software communicate 

via network with each other 

including the prescription and feedback 

on the number of printed straws 

per ejaculate. 

Daily maintenance consists of only 2 

activities: 

1. Before starting the work, the ink 

absorbing tube of the print head is 

rinsed with a few drops of solvent, 

and dried. 

2. After each working day and 

before closing the system, the lower 

face of the print head is cleaned 

from fine ink droplets with a small 

amount of solvent, as well as the 

transport unit where it shows fine 

ink droplets. 

Approximately once per month, the 

operator should control the following 

features and make the appropriate 

maintenance if necessary: 

The level of the ink and solvent 

tanks are refilled as soon as the 

control unit shows low level. 


SpermNotes 10/2005 

The nozzle plate of the print head 

is cleaned in case that the ink jet 

does not hit the exact spot on the 

straw any longer and needs to be 

adjusted. To clean this nozzle plate, 

the operator should provide good 

light, fresh solvent in a spray bottle, 

a tray to collect used solvent and 

tissues, and wear protective clothes 

and gloves. After removing 

the nozzle plate from the ink nozzle, 

the plate and its ink opening are 

freed from all ink rests by spraying 

solvent around and through it. 

After that, the plate is dried off and 

the small opening is controlled with 

a magnifying glass for eventually 

remaining black particles. Then the 

print head itself is cleaned with the 

help of solvent and the nozzle plate 

is fixed again in its position. Finally, 

the electrode slot is dried off, the 

print head is brought back to the 

operating alignment and fixed 

homepage: www.minitube.de 

again. This whole procedure takes 

an experienced operator about 5 

minutes. 

The two conveyor belts of the transport 

unit should be cleaned approximately 

monthly. First, the print 

head is removed and laid down. 

The transport unit is opened by loosing 

the knurled screws, and the two 

belts are removed. Both belts together 

are rolled up and fixed with 

a small piece of wire in this rolled 

position. They are then soaked in 

solvent for about one minute. The 

solvent must not be fresh in this 

case. After removing the belts from 

the solvent, they are dried with 

paper towel and placed back into 

the transport unit. The unit is closed 

by screwing the plates back on. 

This maintenance procedure takes 

about 5 minutes altogether. 

Every 2 to 3 years, it is recommended 

to exchange the ink tank filter. This 

service should be done by a Minitüb 

service engineer. 

If the printer had been transported 

or relocated, or if the straw size 

is changed very frequently, the operator 

may also make adjustments to 

the angle of the ink jet, and to the 

position of the print head, if alignment 

and position of the characters 

on the straws should be modified. 

These adjustments are also easily and 

quickly performed. 

CombiSystem in cold handling cabinet 

5


Volume measurement of the bull 

ejaculate and the extender: small errors 

can lead to important consequences 

Traditionally, most bull semen 

production centres measured 

the volume of the ejaculate and also 

the volume of extender to be added 

by using graduated glassware. This 

procedure leaves the door for wrong 

readings and badly measured volumes 

of extender wide open. There 

are several factors influencing the 

degree of precision: 

graduated laboratory glassware 

is not always calibrated with 100% 

precision 

the angle of holding the glass 

in front of the eyes may vary the 

result 

the graduation is usually only precise 

to the millilitre 

foam on top of the liquid makes it 

difficult to take the right decision 

when adding extender, to stop at 

exactly the right moment is not 

always successful 

With today’s needs of using the 

semen of proven top bulls in the 

most beneficial way by maximizing 

the number of straws per ejaculate, 

the number of sperm cells per straw 

is adjusted precisely to the needed 

amount for achieving good non 

return rates. This approach leaves 

very little tolerance for variations and 

mistakes in the process. It is standard 

laboratory practice to validate and 

periodically control the semen quality 

analysis methods, especially the 

concentration measurement since 

it is of critical importance to production. 

The procedure to measure the 

precise volume of the ejaculates and 

of the extender volume deserves the 

same attention. Both are crucial to 

obtain perfect dilution rates. 

An error in measuring the volume 

of the ejaculate has important consequences. 

A standard ejaculate 

with 5 ml volume, a semen concentration 

of 1 billion motile sperm 

cells per ml, and a desired 10 million 

motile sperm cells per straw will serve 

as an example: a sub-estimation of 

only 0.2 ml will lead to an unnecessary 

loss of 200 million semen cells, 

because these cells will not be used 

in the calculation. 20 straws of high 

quality semen will not be produced 

and sold. 

When adding extender to the 

ejaculate by reading the volume from 

a graduation in the flask or beaker, 

an error of few millilitres easily occurs. 

If the calculated volume is exceeded 

by only 5 millilitres, each straw of 

our above example will contain only 

9.6 million sperm cells instead of 10 

million - an error of almost 4%. 

The solution is the use of electronic, 

calibrated and regularly controlled 

balances for both measurements. 

For the measurement of the ejacu- 

6 SpermNotes 10/2005 homepage: www.minitube.de 

late volume with a balance, standard 

weight collection vials are 

required. Disposable plastic vials fulfil 

this requirement, but each batch 

should be checked for weight and 

uniformity. 

For the exact dispensing of extender 

into the semen, Minitüb offers the 

Smart Dispenser: this system consists 

of a balance, a pump and a control 

unit. The control unit automatically 

receives the necessary amount of 

extender to be added to the semen 

from the central processing software 

(IDA), or by manual entry. A start 

key makes the pump run and starts 

the dispensing of the extender. The 

volume is controlled by an electronic 

balance which returns the weight 

signal to the control unit and stops the 

pump as soon as the correct amount 

has been reached. At the beginning, 

the dispensing process is quick, but 

the last millilitres are dispensed carefully 

drop by drop. A precision within 

0.5 millilitres is achieved, and the operator 

is free for other tasks while the 

dilution is performed automatically.

Advances with the 

AndroMed ® 

Bull Semen Extender 

By Dr. med. vet. Frank Müller-Schlösser 

The modern international cattle 

industry is based on the use of 

artificial insemination with frozenthawed 

semen and therefore on the 

use of semen extenders specifically 

suitable for semen freezing. 

Cryopreservation of sperm cells 

is also of great importance in 

advanced assisted reproductive 

techniques like semen sexing, 

gene banking, and studies concerning 

functional sperm activity 

and its interaction with the 

female gamete. 

In addition to glycerol as 

cryoprotectant, the basic components 

of extenders for semen 

freezing are several sugars as a 

functional energy source and 

other substances that maintain 

osmolality and provide buffering 

capacity. In traditional 

extenders, the egg yolk acts 

as a source for lipoproteins like 

phospholipids and for other 

substances of high molecular 

weight which help to prevent 

cold shock. Egg yolk has been 

used for decades with good 

success. 

In recent years there is 

increasing doubts about the 

use of egg yolk, one of them 

being the wide variability of 

its composition, which makes 

it impossible to define a clear 

quality standard. Furthermore, 

the use of egg yolk not only 

requires a lot of work on preparation 

and cleaning, but also introduces a 

largely uncontrollable risk for contamination 

with bacteria, drugs, and 

hormones. 


Modern investigations have shown 

that chicken eggs may be functional 

carriers of medical residues after 

application of different drugs typically 

used in hen husbandry. 

Steroid concentration (µg/kg) 

in eggs and milk (3,5% fat) 

Hormone 

Pregnenolone 

Progesterone 

Hen eggs 

83-143 

12-43 

Milk 

High concentrations of Progesterone 

and Pregnenolone produced 

by the avian endocrine glands have 

been detected in egg yolk (figure 


2 

9,8 

„Eggs are, therefore, a considerable 

source of hormonally active steroids and 

their precursers.“ 

Free range 

husbandry 

Floor 


Battery 


1). Progesterone is able to induce 

the acrosomal reaction of spermatozoa, 

leading to the assumption that 

a higher percentage of acrosome 

reacted sperm cells may be found 

in semen after coming into 

contact with egg yolk based 

extenders. 

Another risk lies in the hygienic 

status of hen eggs. Figure 

2 shows the frequency of 

bacterial contamination. It 

becomes obvious that there 

is really no production system 

for hen eggs which is able to 

supply eggs completely free 

of hygienic risks. 

Microbial contamination of 

the shell and the yolk itself may 

be a risk of disease transfer. The 

potential presence of endotoxins 

in contaminated egg yolk, 

capable of damaging the fertilizing 

capacity of spermatozoa 

poses another threat. Not 

only pathogens affecting the 

cow but also genuine poultry 

diseases can be transmitted 

via egg yolk. As a direct consequence, 

most countries fear 

the risk of introducing exotic 

diseases through the import of 

egg-based products. 

In summary, egg-yolk containing 

extenders bear the following 

risks: 

• bacterial contamination 

• drug residues 

• hormonal active substances like 

progesterone and pregnenolone. 

7

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The international AI industry therefore 

needs a semen extender of 

clearly defined composition with 

pathogen-free egg yolk substitutes 

of non animal origin, providing optimal 

Non Return rates in the field and 

easy handling in the laboratory. The 

extender manufacturing under GMP 

guidelines shall become an industry 

standard. AndroMed ® meets 

all these criteria: it fulfils the requirements 

of the EC 88/407 guideline. All 

used raw materials are produced 

according to GMP and DIN ISO 9001 

norms, and are certified after PH Eur, 

BP or USP standards. They are tested 

according to international valid quality 

guidelines concerning the testing 

of pharmaceutical substances and 

meet these requirements. Each single 

Intrauterine insemination in cattle goes 

hand in hand with new technologies in 

the semen lab By Dr. med. vet. Christian Simmet 

Traditionally artificial insemination 

in cattle implies the deposition of 

the semen in the cervix or in the body 

of the uterus. In contrast to this well 

established practice, the concept of 

intrauterine insemination (IUI) in the 

bovine species refers to the deposition 

of the semen far up in the uterine 

horn as close as possible to the uterotubal 

junction. 

The main drivers for this development 

are new developments in the 

semen lab as well as the need to 

make the best use of the valuable 

genetics available in a stud. All circumstances 

where low dose insemination 

will be used will benefit from 

this new insemination procedure. 

component of each extender batch 

is tested chemically, physically and 

spermatologically under specialized 

veterinarian supervision for their adequacy 

for the semen conservation. 

Analysis certificates and testing protocols 

constitute full traceability. 

AndroMed ® is based on phospholipids 

of vegetable origin which fully 

replace the egg yolk. The low viscosity 

and homogeneous particle free 

consistence of AndroMed ® delivers 

brilliant microscopic images. The 

microscopic picture is so superior, 

that even the morphological evaluation 

of the semen is possible without 

need for applying stains. This would 

be impossible with egg-yolk or milkbased 

extenders. 

Improving the chances for these 

valuable sperm cells to arrive at the 

site of fertilization will enhance the 

chances of producing good pregnancy 

rates. Especially the use of sex 

sorted semen, a technique which 

provides up to now only small numbers 

of potentially less fertile semen 

can get a boost out of IUI . 

How does it work? 

The IUI equipment consists of the 

disposable IUI sheath, a finger support 

for the sheath, an insertion mandrin 

and an insemination mandrin. 

First the sheath with the attached 

finger support is passed through the 


More than 20 international scientific 

studies have demonstrated the high 

fertilizing ability and biosecurity of 

AndroMed ® combined with its excellent 

ease of handling. Recent studies 

also provide evidence of superior 

performance if compared with other 

egg-yolk free extenders available 

on the market (Janett et al. (2005): 

Cryopreservation of Bull Semen with 

AndroMed ® , Bioxcell ® and Triladyl ® ). 

Full literature list and publications are 

available upon request. 

AndroMed ® is appropriate for the 

use with several species and semen 

protocols. The Minitübs experts for 

semen production and artificial insemination 

are at your disposal for any 

technical question. 

cervix with the insertion mandrin just 

like in a standard AI procedure. The 

diameter of the sheath is smaller than 

an embryo transfer device which 

makes it easy to pass the cervix even 

in heifers. 

After having reached the uterine 

body the insertion mandrin is withdrawn 

slowly in order to set free the 

flexible sheath. The sheath alone will 

enter smoothly the uterine horn and 

follow gently its curved shape until 

reaching the tip of the horn. The 

perfect finish of the tip of the sheath 

ensures the best care for the delicate 

endometrium. 

Once the sheath is in position, the 

insertion mandrin is withdrawn completely 

from the sheath and the

semen straw and the insemination 

mandrin are introduced into the 

sheath. The insemination mandrin is 

very thin and flexible, carrying at its 

front end a small ball shaped head 

to push the straw to the tip of the 

sheath. 

The head of the IUI sheath has an 

inner cone which will anchor the 

straw securely and leak-proof even 

if the straw arrives in a curve at the 

tip. Only after having fixed the straw 

inside the head of the sheath, the 

plug of the straw will empty the 

semen or the embryo into the uterine 

horn. The emptying of the straw is 

also possible with a curved sheath. 

This new IUI device allows the best 

use of low insemination dose semen 

without having to transfer the semen 

into other plastic devices. There is no 

risk of contaminating the semen or 

loosing valuable sperm cells because 

the semen is used with its original 

straw. The IUI procedure is easily performed 

by one person and does not 

require further training. 

Integrated semen collection and 

processing with IDENT and IDA 

IDENT and IDA are 2 independent 

Minitüb software programs. The 

IDA laboratory software is a flexible 

and modular computer program for 

accompanying the process of bull 

semen production. With the application 

of this program, all semen 

collection and processing steps are 

standardised and optimised and a 

true integrated system is composed. 

This integrated system consists of a 

network of computer workstations, 

semen analysis and production 

systems and other hardware and 

facilitates data management from 

the collection through analysis and 

production to quality control and statistics. 

IDA is a Windows based application 

with an Access database. 


Insertion mandrin 

Not only is a complete package 

available. To those who find IDA 

being too sophisticated, basic software 

is also available and different 

modules can be added on at any 

time. Due to this flexible concept, 

the IDA system can be selected, 

combined and adapted individually 

and specifically for each laboratory. 

Upgrades of the program are made 

available periodically and Minitüb 

provides the technical support to all 

users worldwide. 

With the complete software pakkage, 

the entire process is supported 

and documented by a single system, 

from the identification of the bull, to 

ejaculate data recording, through to 


The chain of development from the 

most modern semen lab practices to 

the cow barn will be closed with this 

IUI device. 

A.I. mandrin 

IUI sheath 

correct labelling of the semen straws. 

Specific, customised reports allow a 

quick overview at any time during 

and after production at every computer 

workstation within the network. 

Production data are transferred to 

the sales and administration departments 

in real-time. All data can be 

transferred to Excel and other applications. 

IDA will thus greatly improve 

the speed and efficiency of production 

and decrease the chances for 

human errors. It improves the communication 

within the company and 

provides real-time data on bull performance 

to everyone connected 

to the network program. The Access 

database makes combinations with 

other software applications possible. 

9

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IDENT is a software application for 

electronic identification of bulls and 

semen collectors. It perfectly combines 

with IDA, but can also be used as 

a stand-alone. 

IDA automates the ejaculate analysis, 

extender dispensing, semen 

packaging in straws, as well as the 

record keeping of thawing controls: 

with the working mode active, the 

collection list of the day and the current 

production figures are shown on 

the monitor. For each new ejaculate, 

a batch file is opened. Measurements 

taken by instruments integrated into 

the system (e.g. the photometer and 

weigh-scale) are automatically transferred 

to the computer and entered 

into the correct batch data file. 

Depending on individual software 

settings, other data of interest can 

be added manually. Then the extender 

calculation is performed and the 

process continues with an automatic 

semen dilution facility and data 

transfer to the packaging machine. 

7 

The complete software package 

controls the following hardware, 

which is used to identify, analyse, 

dilute and pack the semen in doses: 

Barcode scanning 

The identification of each ejaculate 

can be entered manually or by 

scanning a barcode label. The barcode 

label may be provided by the 

Minitüb IDENT software. There are 

hand-held and standing scanners 

available. The program opens the 

new ejaculate data file for this bull 

and starts ejaculate data management. 

The new ejaculate file is immediately 

available at all computer 

workstations integrated in the system, 

but analysis data can only be entered 

at the analysis workstation. 

Volume determination 

The ejaculate analysis starts with 

determining the volume. Exact 

volume determination can be car- 


4 

ried out with an electronic balance 

which is connected to IDA via interface. 

The volume is entered automatically 

into the ejaculate file. 

Alternatively, the volume can also be 

determined and entered manually. 

SpermVision 

Semen motility is determined manually 

or automatically by the CASA 

system SpermVision. In this case, 

SpermVision and IDA are interfaced 

and the motility value enters 

automatically in its field within the 

ejaculate record, as well as the concentration 

value, if SpermVision is 

used for chambers to determine cell 

number. In this way, no manual entry 

is needed thus avoiding completely 

any typing errors. 

SDM5 photometer 

Alternatively or additionally to a 

CASA system, the photometer SDM5 

is interfaced with IDA and the semen

concentration value is transferred 

automatically to the ejaculate data 

file. 

SmartDispenser 

As soon as the analysis is finished, 

IDA calculates the number of straws 

to be processed and the volume 

of required extender. The program 

applies user-specific and bull specific 

formulas for this calculation. With 

the optional SmartDispenser system 

connected to IDA, the volume of 

required extender is automatically 

transferred to the SmartDispenser 

and dispensed into the ejaculate. 

The system can also be set for predilution, 

2 or more step dilution and 

to combining of 2 ejaculates of the 

same bull. The processing information 

is immediately available to all workstations 

integrated in the system, i.e. 

the lab manager, the barn manager 

and the collection room display (see 

description of IDA module collection 

room display). 


Automatic filling, sealing and 

printing system 

Finally, the data are automatically 

transferred to the automatic filling, 

sealing and printing system for semen 

straws. With a barcode scanner connected 

to the control unit of the processing 

system, the identity of the 

ejaculate is read into the system, the 

pertinent bull ejaculate file is opened 

and the filling, sealing and printing 

machine automatically receives the 

information to be printed on each 

straw and the number of straws to 

be processed. IDA can also be interfaced 

with the printer only. 

IDA software module for a 

display in the collection room 

There is a software module available 

for a large display in the collection 

room that can be combined with 

IDA as an add-on. 


The display in the collection room 

offers to the semen collectors the 

possibility to observe the most important 

data of the recently collected 

ejaculates: volume, concentration, 

motility and number of doses which 

can be produced out of the ejaculate. 

Reports and statistics 

In addition to several standard 

reports offered by the program like 

the daily report, bull data sorted by 

various criteria, production data 

sorted by groups of bulls, forms for 

the collection plan or schedule, and 

holding samples etc., user-specific 

records and reports can easily be 

programmed. A special export menu 

allows data to be transferred to Excel 

for further analysis. 

The Minitüb straw printer EasyCoder prints characters, barcodes and symbols with unique precision 

11

12 

InsideMINITÜB 

Dr. Sieber appointed Director of 

International Technology Transfer 

for Minitube of America and Minitüb 

Dr. Martin Sieber has been 

appointed Director of 


for Minitube of America Inc. 

(Verona, Wisconsin, USA) and for 

Minitüb Abfüll- und Labortechnik 

GmbH&Co.KG (Tiefenbach, 

Germany). The son of a German 

veterinarian, Dr. Sieber received 

his undergraduate and graduate 

training in animal breeding from 

the Christian-Albrecht University in 

Kiel, Germany. His doctoral studies 

were completed at the Bavarian 

Research Center of Animal 

Husbandry, near Munich, Germany. 

After completing his graduate 

studies, he was a postdoctoral 

research assistant at Iowa State 

University in Ames. While there, he 

also participated in bovine mastitis 

research at the National Animal 

Disease Center. 

Dr. Sieber was a research dairy 

scientist for 2 years at USDA‘s Animal 

Improvement Programs Laboratory 

in Beltsville, Maryland. While there, 

he developed methodology 

with Dr. Rex Powell to compare 

genetic evaluations of dairy cattle 

accurately among countries as 

well as procedures for calculating 

conversion formulas. 

From 1989 to 2004, Dr. Sieber was 

Director of International Market 

Development for the National 

Association of Animal Breeders 

(NAAB) in Columbia, Missouri, 

where his primary focus was 

administration and implementation 

of programs to expand use of 

artificial insemination and U.S. 

livestock genetics worldwide. His 

work with international import 

organizations, agricultural ministries 

and U.S. embassies took him to 

over 40 countries. He then served 

as Director of International Market 

Development for Alta Genetics 

(Hughson, California) until Alta’s 

restructuring in 2005 and continued 

to provide international marketing 

support to the U.S. dairy industry as a 

private consultant. 

In his new position as Director of 


for Minitube, Dr. Sieber will be the 


link between the International 

Center for Biotechnology and 

Minitube’s international network 

and customers around the world. 

He will focus on global customer 

service, support and providing 

training, consulting and technical 

information on existing and new 

technologies.

MPP Quattro: a filling and sealing machine designed for best semen ...

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