What is the difference between Fetal Bovine Serum (FBS) and Fetal Calf Serum (FCS)?

There is no difference. These are different names for the same product. Serum derived from blood of bovine fetuses is referred to as Fetal Bovine Serum or Fetal Calf Serum.

Should I use heat inactivated fetal bovine serum?

Heat inactivation, in general, decreases the growth promoting properties of the serum and causes increased formation of crystalline or flocculent precipitates (salts, proteins, lipids, fibrin, etc.) in the Fetal Bovine Serum (FBS) as well as in other serum products. In fact, for many cell culture applications, heat inactivation may be unnecessary. Warming the serum-containing medium to 37˚C prior to use, as is the practice in many cell culture laboratories, is often sufficient to inactivate heat-labile complement factors. Heat inactivated FBS is frequently used in immunological applications.Since every cell type has different growth requirements, the choice of whether to heat inactivate your serum or not must be made by the researcher. If you have concerns about whether to use heat inactivated serum with your cell line or not, perform a side-by-side comparison of cell growth with heat inactivated versus non-heat inactivated serum.For your convenience, R&D Systems offers all serum with or without heat-inactivation.

Fetal Bovine Serum - Charcoal/Dextran Treated

Name: Fetal Bovine Serum - Charcoal/Dextran Treated
Brand: R&D Systems
SKU: S11650

R&D Systems, part of Bio-Techne | Catalog # S11650

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Product Datasheet / COA / SDS

This item is in process of being discontinued.

To discuss options, please contact Technical Support (techsupport@bio-techne.com)

Key Product Details

Features:	Charcoal-stripped Fetal Bovine Serum is used in applications requiring lower levels of hormones, steroids or growth factors in serum, such as insulin and estrogen related research.
Key Benefits:	Utilizes a proprietary and efficacious charcoal/dextran treatment All lots are verified for reduced hormeones, steroids, and lipid-like components Excellent cell growth characteristics and low endotoxin USDA-Approved FBS of Mexico/Central American origin Manufactured in our ISO 9001:2015 certified facility Formerly sold under the Atlanta Biologicals brand

Discontinued Product

S11650 has been discontinued. View all Fetal Bovine Serum (FBS) products.

Technical Data
Citations / Reviews / FAQs

Summary for Fetal Bovine Serum - Charcoal/Dextran Treated

Why Use FBS - Charcoal/Dextran Treated?

Pre-selected high quality Fetal Bovine Serum, also known as Fetal Calf Serum (FCS), is processed using a proprietary Charcoal/Dextran treatment proven to reduce the levels of many hormones, steroids, and other lipid-like components. Each lot produced is tested for various hormones and steroids before and after treatment to confirm the efficacy of the process. All lots of Charcoal/Dextran Treated FBS are manufactured in our ISO 9001:2015 certified facility.

Fetal Bovine Serum and other serum products should be stored and handled correctly to assure long-term stability and to preserve growth performance consistency throughout its shelf-life. In addition, heat inactivation of serum is frequently desired to inactivate complement within the serum. Below are protocol links for serum storage/handling and heat inactivation.

Protocol for Fetal Bovine Serum Storage, Thawing, and Freezing.
Protocol for Heat Inactivation of Serum Products.

Collection, Processing, and Testing of R&D Systems FBS

Collection and Processing - R&D Systems FBS is manufactured under a process that meets USDA requirements for animal products and ensures the product is traceable back to the date and location of collection. Our FBS manufacturing adheres to closed-system collection, processing in positive pressure, HEPA-filtered clean rooms, and triple 0.1 um filtration to remove contaminants. Strict control of the process from collection through processing enables us to provide a stable, consistent performing, and traceable supply of quality serum throughout global fluctuations in serum availability and regulatory requirements.

Virus Testing - Fetal Bovine Serum – Charcoal/Dextran Treated undergoes testing for adventitious viruses, such as: Bovine Viral Diarrhea Virus (BVDV), Infectious Bovine Rhinotracheitis Virus (IBRV), Parainfluenza-3 Virus (PI-3V), Bluetongue Virus (BTV), Bovine Respiratory Syncytial Virus (BRSV), Bovine Parvovirus (BPV), Bovine Adenovirus, Type 3 (BAV-3), Bovine Adenovirus, Type 5 (BAV-5), Reo virus, and Rabies virus.

Biochemical Testing - R&D Systems FBS undergo biochemical profiling including total protein, albumin, globulin, IgG, total bilirubin, glucose, iron, cholesterol, triglycerides, sodium and potassium. View the product insert for a complete list of biochemical profiling components, which may vary between grades.

Chemical Analysis - Each lot of FBS is tested for osmolality, pH, hemoglobin, endotoxin (LAL method) and microbiological contamination (using methods recommended by the U.S. Pharmacopeia).

Product Specifications for Fetal Bovine Serum - Charcoal/Dextran Treated

Species	Bovine
Applications	Cell Culture
Formulation	Liquid
Purification	Triple 0.1 μm filtered
Osmolality	260 -350 mOsm
Sterility Testing	Pass
Quality Testing	Pass
Additional Testing	pH - 6.5-8.5 Endotoxin - ≤ 50.0 EU/mL by Limulus Amebocyte Lysate (LAL) Assay Hemoglobin - 25 mg/dL Hormone Profile - Insulin, Estradiol, , Cortisol, Progesterone, Testosterone, T4, and T3

Preparation & Storage

Shipping Conditions	On Dry Ice
Storage	-5 to -20 °C

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Fetal Bovine Serum - Charcoal/Dextran Treated

R&D Systems, part of Bio-Techne | Catalog # S11650

To discuss options, please contact Technical Support (techsupport@bio-techne.com)

Key Product Details

Summary for Fetal Bovine Serum - Charcoal/Dextran Treated

Why Use FBS - Charcoal/Dextran Treated?

Collection, Processing, and Testing of R&D Systems FBS

Product Specifications for Fetal Bovine Serum - Charcoal/Dextran Treated

Preparation & Storage

Customer Reviews for Fetal Bovine Serum - Charcoal/Dextran Treated

FAQs for Fetal Bovine Serum - Charcoal/Dextran Treated

Product Documents for Fetal Bovine Serum - Charcoal/Dextran Treated

Product Datasheets

COA

Certificate of Analysis

SDS

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