Fetal Bovine Serum - Optima

Fetal Bovine Serum, also known as Fetal Calf Serum (FCS), is a critical supplement added to cell culture medium to maintain cell health and promote expansion. Different grades of FBS are available from R&D Systems that address the value and premium needs of research.

All lots of Fetal Bovine Serum – Optima are sterility, virus, and performance tested, and include a biochemical profile. Lots are manufactured from USA origin material following stringent manufacturing and quality control procedures. Optima FBS is USDA-APHIS certified and is 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 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 – Optima undergoes extended testing for adventitious viruses including: 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).