Skip to Content
Merck
All Photos(1)

Key Documents

F0926

Sigma-Aldrich

Fetal Bovine Serum

USDA approved, sterile-filtered, suitable for cell culture

Synonym(s):

Fetal Bovine Sera, Fetal Calf Sera, FBS, FCS, sera, serum

Sign Into View Organizational & Contract Pricing


About This Item

MDL number:
UNSPSC Code:
12352207
NACRES:
NA.71

biological source

bovine fetus

Quality Level

sterility

sterile-filtered

product line

FBS Classic

quality

USDA approved

composition

Hemoglobin, ≤25 mg/dL

technique(s)

cell culture | mammalian: suitable

impurities

≤10 EU/mL endotoxin

shipped in

dry ice

storage temp.

−20°C

Looking for similar products? Visit Product Comparison Guide

General description

Fetal bovine serum (FBS) or fetal calf serum is the blood fraction remaining after the natural coagulation of blood. It comes from the blood drawn from a bovine fetus via a closed system of collection at the slaughterhouse. It is the most widely used serum-supplement for the in vitro cell culture of eukaryotic cells.

Application

FBS sourced from USDA approved non-USA countries is used in a broad range of cell culture applications. FBS provides many non-defined growth promoting and survival enhancing factors to cells in culture.

Fetal Bovine Serum has been used for the following cell cultures:
  • Primary Culture Human Macrophages (mononuclear cells were re-suspended in Roswell Park Memorial Institute (RPMI) medium containing fetal bovine serum (FBS) along with other components).
  • Tissue Culture (MEFs were cultured in DMEM supplemented with FBS along with components).
  • Isolation and 3D culture of primary mammary epithelial organoids
  • Cell culture and medium (HUVECs were grown in Endothelial Cell Growth Medium-2 supplemented with FBS and growth factors)

Suitability

USDA Approved Sourcing refers to FBS produced from blood collected in countries outside of the United States that have been approved by the USDA (United States Department of Agriculture) for export of beef products into the United States. Eligible countries for export into the U.S. include Australia, Canada, Chile, Costa Rica, Honduras, Iceland, Japan, Mexico, New Zealand, Nicaragua, Uruguay. Foreign serum is tested to ensure the absence of exotic viruses before release by the USDA.

Analysis Note

  • Endotoxin and hemoglobin tested
  • Tested for the presence of bacteria, virus, and mycoplasma
  • Triple filtered with 0.1 micron membrane under aseptic conditions

Storage Class Code

10 - Combustible liquids

WGK

WGK 3

Flash Point(F)

Not applicable

Flash Point(C)

Not applicable

Personal Protective Equipment

dust mask type N95 (US), Eyeshields, Gloves

Certificates of Analysis (COA)

Search for Certificates of Analysis (COA) by entering the products Lot/Batch Number. Lot and Batch Numbers can be found on a product’s label following the words ‘Lot’ or ‘Batch’.

Already Own This Product?

Find documentation for the products that you have recently purchased in the Document Library.

Visit the Document Library

Customers Also Viewed

Ling Huang et al.
PloS one, 9(2), e88893-e88893 (2014-03-04)
Use of fusion protein tags to investigate lysosomal proteins can be complicated by the acidic, protease-rich environment of the lysosome. Potential artifacts include degradation or release of the tag and acid quenching of fluorescence. Tagging can also affect protein folding
Carmen N Hernández-Candia et al.
Methods (San Diego, Calif.), 164-165, 81-90 (2019-03-25)
Synthetic regulation of gene expression provides a powerful approach to reprogram molecular and cellular processes and test the function of specific genes and gene products. In the last decade, optogenetic systems that allow light-dependent gene regulation have become valuable tools
Weiran Shen et al.
Journal of virology, 89(19), 10097-10109 (2015-08-01)
Human bocavirus 1 (HBoV1) is a single-stranded DNA parvovirus that causes lower respiratory tract infections in young children worldwide. In this study, we identified novel splice acceptor and donor sites, namely, A1' and D1', in the large nonstructural protein (NS1)-encoding
Kevin Anton et al.
PloS one, 7(4), e35036-e35036 (2012-04-13)
Mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) exhibit tropism for sites of tissue injury and tumors. However, the influence of the microenvironment on MSC phenotype and localization remains incompletely characterized. In this study, we begin to define a macrophage-induced MSC phenotype. These MSCs
Katherine Leon et al.
Nature communications, 11(1), 194-194 (2020-01-12)
Many drugs target the extracellular regions (ECRs) of cell-surface receptors. The large and alternatively-spliced ECRs of adhesion G protein-coupled receptors (aGPCRs) have key functions in diverse biological processes including neurodevelopment, embryogenesis, and tumorigenesis. However, their structures and mechanisms of action

Articles

Calcium is an ionically stable divalent cation with important beneficial and toxic properties in cell culture. It is a component of a wide range of cell culture media.

Review the basics of using fetal bovine (or calf) serum for cell culture and how sourcing and regulations affect the price of sera for cell-based assays.

Find answers to frequently asked questions (FAQs) about FBS and other serum products, and links to related products.

Protocols

This detailed procedure allows you to transduce Mouse Embryonic Fibroblasts (MEF) using MISSION ExpressMag Super Magnetic Kit.

Protect your investment with best practices for storing and thawing FBS and other sera. Sample FBS for validation in your cell culture protocol.

Related Content

Learn how to effectively filter fetal bovine serum (FBS) using Stericup® Quick Release vacuum filtration devices, including flow test data and analysis.

Explore our portfolio of fetal bovine serum (FBS) and determine the right FBS for your lab needs and budget. Request a serum sample.

Our team of scientists has experience in all areas of research including Life Science, Material Science, Chemical Synthesis, Chromatography, Analytical and many others.

Contact Technical Service