Factors Affecting the Quality of Fetal Bovine Serum - Media Bottle

Fetal bovine serum is obtained from caesarean section fetuses, which is of high quality, because the fetuses have not been exposed to the outside world, and the serum contains less antibodies, complements and other components that are harmful to cells. Factors affecting the quality of fetal bovine serum include appearance, technical indicators, blood source, media bottle and other four aspects.

Appearance: Including the color, clarity, and precipitation of the serum. Generally, domestic fetal bovine serum is waxy yellow, imported high-quality serum is pale yellow, reddish, and slightly orange-red or bright red. Heat-inactivated serum or improperly stored serum will appear dark red or even brown due to the destruction and oxidation of hemoglobin.

Technical indicators: Technical indicators affecting serum quality include endotoxin, total protein content, hemoglobin, PH, microorganisms, immunoglobulins, etc., as well as the determination of antibiotics. Domestic dairy cattle breeding uses more antibiotics, which is also the fundamental reason why the quality of domestic serum is lower than that of imported serum.

Blood source: At present, the serum blood sources on the market are mainly divided into China, North America, South America and Australia. South American serum comes from Panama, Uruguay, Brazil, etc. The quality of these serums is uneven due to the uncontrollability of blood collection. Another notable feature of North American serum is that each bottle of serum can be traced, which is especially important for some large vaccine factories and pharmaceutical factories. Australian serum generally does not have traceability function, and the price is relatively expensive due to production, transportation and other reasons.

Media bottle: The appearance, technical indicators and blood source of the serum are the fundamental factors that affect the quality of the serum. In addition, whether the quality of the serum bottle passes the test and whether the sealing is intact will also affect the quality of the serum.

Serum is an important nutrient in cell culture, and the quality of serum will directly affect the growth state of cells. Therefore, when purchasing serum, not only the quality of the serum itself, but also the quality of the media bottle cannot be ignored.