“We think that the hardware platform invented at UC Davis could be integrated into hatcheries”, Mr Turpen added. (Which raises the question: can scent-based mammals, particularly dogs or rats, also use smells to identify sex of a developing chicken embryo at the same age?) This study demonstrates that it is possible to sort eggs by sex during early incubation based solely on emitted volatile organic chemicals. The process could be speeded up by designing the rapid suction-cup sampling technology to test a lot of eggs at the same time. Using this method, the researchers could identify male and female embryos at 8 days of incubation with 80% accuracy, based on two minutes of sampling. “We found that there are volatile chemicals from the egg, a scent that you can capture and sort statistically,” said Tom Turpen, president and CEO of Sensit Ventures and senior author on the paper. Professor Zhou primarily studies immunogenetics, molecular genetics, functional genomics, and bioinformatics in poultry. Sex of the eggs was then confirmed by DNA analysis by study co-author, immunogeneticist Huajin Zhou, a professor of Animal Science. ![]() The air samples were analyzed using gas chromatography/mass spectrometry. ![]() ![]() To do this, the researchers adapted suction cups that are already in use to handle eggs on a massive scale to “sniff” air emitted by the eggs without opening them. (Credit: Tom Turpen / SENSit Ventures) Tom Turpen / SENSit Ventures Sampling of volatile chemicals uses suction cups like those used for industrial handling of eggs.
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