To investigate the metabolism of various substrates in preimplantation bovine embryos, uptake of glucose and pyruvate, and lactate production were measured in single IVF-derived bovine embryos by a non-invasive method. When the embryos were incubated for 5 h in culture medium supplemented with 1 mM glucose and 0.4mM pyruvate as substrates at each developmental stage, glucose uptake was increased with more advanced developmental stages while pyruvate uptake was decreased. Total lactate producton of 2-cell embryos was significantly higher than that of blastocysts (p<0.05). Both of glucose uptake and lactate production in normal morulae produced in vitro was significantly high compared to the degenerated embryos(p<0.05). The results obtained in the study suggest that pyruvate as an exogenous substrate may be support in bovine embryos until 8-cell stage, whereas glucose may be effective as an energy source after morula stage. In addition, it was proven thatlactate was not effective as an energy source in preimplantation development of IVF-derived bovine embryos.