Bovine embryo production : evolution of culture media and commercial perspectives.

produced embryos exhibit lower viability compared to their counterparts. Mammalian preimplantation embryos have the ability to reach the blastocyst stage in diverse culture media, showcasing considerable metabolic adaptability, which complicates the identification of optimal developmental conditions. Despite embryos successfully progressing to the blastocyst stage, adaptation to suboptimal culture environments may jeopardize blastocyst viability, cryotolerance, and implantation potential. Enhancing our capacity to support preimplantation embryonic development requires a deeper understanding of fundamental embryo physiology, including preferred metabolic substrates and pathways utilized by high-quality embryos. Armed with this knowledge, it becomes achievable to optimize culture conditions to support normal, -like embryo physiology, mitigate adaptive stress, and enhance viability. The objective of this review is to summarize the evolution of culture media for bovine embryos, highlighting significant milestones and remaining challenges.