Fetal Bovine Serum, heat inactivated, certified, One Shot™, United States, 10 x 50 mL - FAQs

What are the benefits and disadvantages of using heat-inactivated FBS in cell culture?

1. Heating inactivates complement. Active complement can participate in cytolytic events, contract smooth muscle, release histamine from mast cells and platelets, and activate lymphocytic and macrophage cells. Applications where heat-inactivated serum is recommended include immunological studies and culturing of embryonic stem cells (ESCs), insect cells, and smooth muscle cells.
2. Heat inactivation helps to achieve bottle-to-bottle and lot-to-lot stability by neutralizing many factors that can vary largely from lot to lot.
3. There aren't necessarily disadvantages to heat inactivation of FBS, but there is some evidence that suggests there may be no added benefit to it unless you are carrying out immune studies.

How much of the total protein measured in Fetal Bovine Serum (heat inactivated or otherwise) is attributed to albumin?

Our CoAs only capture the total protein content not specifically the amount attributed to albumin.

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How much Fetal Bovine Serum (FBS) do I need to add to my medium?

FBS is added to culture medium at a concentration of 2-10% to provide attachment factors, nutrients, and hormones for mammalian cells, as well as to be a buffer against disruptions like pH changes and endotoxins. FBS has significant amounts of embryonic growth promoting factors like hormones, carrier proteins, and macromolecular proteins. It also has low levels of antibodies and other growth-inhibiting components. For most basal medium, 10% FBS is used. Some applications require up to 20% supplementation, so researchers need to determine what is optimal for their specific application and cell line.

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How long can I store Gibco Fetal Bovine Serum at 4 degrees C?

This product can be stored at 4 degrees C for up to 4 weeks. Once the medium has been supplemented with serum, we recommend using it within 2-4 weeks.

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How should I thaw Gibco Fetal Bovine Serum?

We recommend thawing the serum overnight at 4 degrees C or in a 37 degrees C water bath, removing as soon as it is thawed. Once thawed, aliquot into single-use sizes and freeze the aliquots. Each aliquot should ideally be thawed only one additional time as repeated freeze-thaw cycles are not recommended.

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What temperature should I store Fetal Bovine Serum?

The product is received frozen and should be stored at -5 degrees C to -20 degrees C right away. Do not subject the serum to repeated freeze-thaw cycles.

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Can I purchase Gibco Fetal Bovine Serum that has already been heat-inactivated?

Yes, we do offer Fetal Bovine Serum, certified, heat-inactivated (Cat. Nos. 10082139, 10082147, A3840001, A3840002).

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How do I heat-inactivate Gibco Fetal Bovine Serum? What does heat-inactivation do?

Heating inactivates complement. Active complement can participate in cytolytic events, contract smooth muscle, release histamine from mast cells and platelets, and activate lymphocytic and macrophage cells. Applications where heat-inactivated serum is recommended include immunological studies and culturing of embryonic stem cells (ESCs), insect cells, and smooth muscle cells.

Heat inactivation is performed in a 56 degrees C water bath for 30 min with swirling every 10 min or so for heat distribution and to lower the degree of protein aggregation/flocculant precipitation. Note: If the time or temperature is exceeded, the serum may thicken to a gel. If this occurs, the serum is no longer usable.

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Is Gibco Fetal Bovine Serum sterile?

Fetal bovine serum is triple filter sterilized using a 0.1 µm filter. All our Gibco cell culture liquid products are prepared by an aseptic process for which each step has been validated to ensure that all products meet the industry standard sterility assurance level of 10^-3; i.e., product that demonstrates a contamination level of no more than 1 of 1,000 units during the manufacturing process. The highest level of sterility assurance (equal to or greater than 10^-6) cannot be achieved without terminal sterilization which is harmful to the performance of cell culture products. Key points of control include validated sterilization cycles for all material with product contact, routine media fills employing bacteriological media, a comprehensive environmental monitoring program, validated cleaning procedures, and a validated final filter integrity testing program. Additionally, filtration and dispensing are performed within positive pressure, HEPA-filtered, environmentally controlled rooms.

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Is precipitation in Gibco Fetal Bovine Serum normal?

Since our sera are not pre-aged before filtration, turbidity or flocculent debris may develop during thawing or storage. This flocculence is a normal characteristic of the serum and does not adversely affect performance characteristics of the serum.

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Is Gibco Fetal Bovine Serum tested for tetracycline?

No, the tetracycline testing is not being performed for serum lots manufactured after March 1, 2019. This testing can be requested as a custom request.

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When should I use heat-inactivated serum?

Heat-inactivation of serum inactivates the “complements” in the serum. In general, it is not necessary to use heat-inactivated serum to culture most cell types. We recommend using heat-inactivated serum when working with immune type cells or for immunological applications.

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I would like to order heat-inactivated FBS. What conditions do you use for heat-inactivation of FBS during the manufacturing process?

Serum is heat inactivated by heating at 56 degrees C in a water bath for 30 min, swirling the bottle approximately every 10 minutes.

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What is the difference between "qualified" versus "certified" purity grade FBS?

The main difference is in the Quality Control (QC) test specifications. “Qualified” and “Certified” FBS go through the same QC tests but “Certified” FBS has additional QC tests as well as more stringent QC test specifications for endotoxin and hemoglobin levels. The additional QC tests in “Certified” FBS include biochemical and hormonal profiling.

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What is the shelf life for One Shot FBS?

The current shelf life for One Shot FBS products is 2 years from the date of manufacture.

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What is the recommended storage temperature for your FBS products?

We recommend storing our FBS products at ≤-10 degrees C. The current United States Pharmacopeia (USP) and European Pharmacopoeia (EP) guidelines for monographs for serum refer to a storage temperature of ≤-10 degrees C.

While our previous recommended storage temperature of -5 to -20 degrees C have complied with this range, the change to ≤-10 degrees C ensures that the storage temperature range on the label and CoA is consistent with USP and EP requirements.

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