A team led by Professor Dr. Helene Dörksen from the Institute Industrial IT (inIT) succeeded in determining the sex of hens' eggs in the laboratory from as early as the third day of hatching. The key to success lies in so-called time-resolved laser fluorescence spectroscopy.
The special feature: With a hit accuracy of constantly 98 percent, the sex of the developing chick can be determined without damaging the eggshell. This avoids stress for the embryos.
The method itself is not new. The measurement method has already been successfully applied to the analysis of fuels. "In our case, the light beam excites gender-specific substances that start to glow. And this is where mathematics comes into play. We can measure these reactions via the algorithms we have developed”, says mathematician Dörksen.
This procedure is a "prime example of the successful interaction of optical spectroscopy and suitable mathematical methods of data analysis", explains the expert. "Beyond sex determination on the hatching egg, the application potential of the procedure is far from exhausted: our visions are opening up applications, for example in medical fields or in fuel research."
Applied sciences are characterised by putting science into practice. The three-year funding from Berlin therefore aims to build sexing systems suitable for everyday use in large and small hatcheries. This benefits animal welfare considerably and also keeps German hatcheries competitive regionally, nationally and internationally.
Background: Early sexing is important for hatcheries. Since the beginning of 2022, they are no longer allowed to kill male day-old chicks. The procedure makes it possible to eliminate male chicks before the seventh day of development in the egg.