It is approaching three decades since the first public evidence of sex-sorting of
semen. The technology has progressed considerably since then with a number of
institutions and researchers collaborating to eventually bring this to
application. The technical challenges have been quite substantial and in the
early years the application was limited to only heifer inseminations. Comparable
fertility of sex-sorted semen with conventional semen has been an aspirational
benchmark for the industry for many years. Significant investment in research in
the primary biology of sex-sorted sperm and associated sorting equipment ensured
steady progress over the years and current methods particularly the new
SexedULTRA-4M™ seems to have now mostly bridged this fertility gap.
The dairy and beef industry have adopted this technology quite rapidly. Other
animal industries are progressively testing it for application in their specific
niches and environments. The current state of the art in the fundamentals of
sex-sorting, the biology of the process as well as new developments in machinery
are described in this review.