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Contents This study aimed to establish a culture system that improves the in vitro development of caprine preantral follicles. In a first experiment, follicles were encapsulated as a single unit per bead and cultured singly or in groups or with five follicles in the same alginate ( ALG) bead for 18 days. In a subsequent experiment, the 'five follicles per bead' design was chosen to culture in ALG, fibrin-alginate ( FA) or hyaluronate ( HA) for 18 days. In a third experiment, we chose the five follicles per bead in FA to culture for 30 days. The culture set-up of five follicles per ALG bead increased antrum formation and follicle diameter compared to the other culture designs ( p < .05). Moreover, under this condition, 44.44% of the oocytes from in vitro cultured preantral follicles reached meiotic resumption. A significant increase of follicle diameter occurred in attachment system and FA ( p < .05), but the ALG condition reached the highest among all groups on day 18 ( p < .05). Follicles encapsulated in matrix produced more estradiol and progesterone than attachment system ( p < .05). The expression of MMP-9 mRNA was higher in FA than in other groups ( p < .05) and similar to antral follicles from in vivo control ( p > .05). Only FA group resulted in oocytes matured. After 30 days, oocytes from preantral follicles in vitro grown in FA developed to eight-cell parthenotes. In conclusion, a culture system using FA supported the development of caprine preantral follicles cultured in group and included in the same bead of hydrogel, improving the oocyte maturation and producing parthenotes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]