Ali Asmaa S, Jacinto Joana G P, Mϋnchemyer Wolf, Walte Andreas, Gentile Arcangelo, Formigoni Andrea, Mammi Ludovica M E, Csaba Bajcsy Árpád, Abdu Mohamed S, Kamel Mervat M, Ghallab Abdel Raouf Morsy
Department of Theriogenology, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Cairo University, Giza P.O. Box 12211, Egypt.
Department of Veterinary Medical Sciences, University of Bologna, 40126 Ozzano dell'Emilia, BO, Italy.
Vet Sci. 2022 Dec 9;9(12):688. doi: 10.3390/vetsci9120688.
Estrus detection is very important for the profitability of dairy herds. Different automatic systems for estrus detection have been developed over the last decades. Our study aimed to assess the ability of the electronic nose (EN) MENT-EGAS prototype to detect estrus, based on odor release from the perineal headspace in dairy cattle by direct sampling. The study was performed in an Italian dairy farm using 35 multiparous Holstein-Friesian cows. The cows were divided into three groups: group I included 10 lactating 5-month pregnant cows, group II included 19 lactating cycling cows, and group III included 6 cows that were artificially inseminated 18 days before the trial. Odors from the perineal headspace were collected using the MENT-EGAS prototype. In group I, odors were collected once a day for 5 consecutive days. In group II, odors were collected twice daily from day 18 until day 1 of the reproductive cycle. In group III, odors were also collected twice daily from the presumable day 18 of gestation until day 22. Principal component analyses (PCA) of the perineal headspace samples were performed. PCA in group I revealed no significant discrimination. PCA in group II revealed clear discrimination between proestrus and estrus, and between estrus and metestrus but no significant discrimination was obtained between proestrus and metestrus. PCA in group III revealed that in four cows the results were similar to group I and in two cows the results were similar to group II. On day 40 of the presumable pregnancy, the ultrasound examination revealed that only the four cows were pregnant and the other two cows were regularly cycling. On the basis of our findings, we conclude that it is possible to accurately detect estrus in dairy cattle from directly collected odor samples using the MENT-EGAS prototype. This represents the first study of estrus detection using an EN detection by direct sampling. EN technologies, such as MENT-EGAS, could be applied in the future in dairy cattle farms as a precise, non-invasive method for estrus detection.
发情检测对于奶牛群的盈利能力非常重要。在过去几十年中，已经开发出了不同的发情自动检测系统。我们的研究旨在基于通过直接采样从奶牛会阴顶空释放的气味，评估电子鼻（EN）MENT - EGAS原型检测发情的能力。该研究在意大利的一个奶牛场进行，使用了35头经产荷斯坦 - 弗里生奶牛。奶牛被分为三组：第一组包括10头怀孕5个月的泌乳奶牛，第二组包括19头处于泌乳期且发情周期正常的奶牛，第三组包括6头在试验前18天进行人工授精的奶牛。使用MENT - EGAS原型收集会阴顶空的气味。在第一组中，连续5天每天收集一次气味。在第二组中，从生殖周期的第18天到第1天每天收集两次气味。在第三组中，从预计妊娠第18天到第22天也每天收集两次气味。对会阴顶空样本进行了主成分分析（PCA）。第一组的PCA显示没有显著差异。第二组的PCA显示在发情前期和发情期之间、发情期和发情后期之间有明显差异，但在发情前期和发情后期之间没有获得显著差异。第三组的PCA显示，4头奶牛的结果与第一组相似，2头奶牛的结果与第二组相似。在预计怀孕的第40天，超声检查显示只有4头奶牛怀孕，另外2头奶牛发情周期正常。基于我们的研究结果，我们得出结论，使用MENT - EGAS原型通过直接收集气味样本能够准确检测奶牛的发情。这是首次使用电子鼻通过直接采样进行发情检测的研究。诸如MENT - EGAS之类的电子鼻技术未来可应用于奶牛场，作为一种精确的、非侵入性的发情检测方法。
