Coconut Water Has One New Superpower: Artificially Inseminating Pigs

While you may associate sipping on coconut water with a much-needed vacation at a pristine beach resort, it appears scientists have found another use for the refreshing drink, and it’s not as appetizing. 

According to Sci Dev Net, a project in Uganda has offered researchers a rather peculiar use for the nutrient-rich substance: artificially inseminating female pigs. 

Yup, that’s right. With the country boasting the highest demand for pork in East Africa—3.4 kg (7.5 lbs) per capita annually—the team sought out unconventional ways of increasing breeding results, especially with smallholder pig farmers struggling to produce high-quality meat. 

Turns out, artificial insemination was preferred to natural mating, allowing farmers to collect semen from superior boars in order to improve the herd’s genotypes and minimizing the risk of transmitted diseases, resulting in better quality produce. 

By using green coconuts, the scientists were able to harness the high concentration of sodium and potassium to boost the motility and longevity of the boars’ semen, with the added bonus of the fruit being readily available in the local region. 

Joab Malanda, a pig production expert at Egerton University, told the site that apart from aiding the insemination into the female pig, the coconut water helps extend the lifespan of the sperm from four hours to 96 hours. 

In order to tap on this new method, farmers in Uganda will have to undergo training in the extraction and preservation of the boars’ semen, though the researchers are confident the great demand for pigs and pork in the nation will incentivize them to take part. 

“Artificial insemination can be adopted sustainably,” said Elly Ndyomugyenyi, the project’s lead researcher, who believes the process can be scaled up anywhere on the continent. 

[via Sci Dev Net and Live Science, cover image via Yulan | Dreamstime.com]