Adulteration” is the most damaging of the criminal activities that may affect serum users! FBS can be adulterated by the addition of water, growth factors and/or serum of other species. Unscrupulous companies in order to enhance performance and/or lower the cost of the product can carry out one or more of these or similar activities…. Read more »
What about misrepresentation and smuggling?
“Misrepresentation” is when the product is mislabeled in terms of the declared origin, and can be total or partial: “Total” is when FBS from a less expensive origin is sold as if it were from a more expensive origin; “Partial” is when a less expensive origin and a more expensive origin are mixed e.g. in… Read more »
What are the ethics?
Given that the death of some pregnant animals is unavoidable, the fetus can be used to serve science, and generate jobs. This contribution benefits research and development and should not be underestimated.
Do the animals suffer?
The collection of the blood is done without causing pain to the fetus. The fetus’s life ends through oxygen depletion, generally agreed to be a gentle method of life termination. Cell culture technology can reduce the use of live animals in science. Research is also being done to produce meat by cell culture, which could… Read more »
Why kill pregnant animals ?
The slaughtering of pregnant animals is, in most cases, an unplanned event. The frequency depends on farming techniques. In most cases, the condition of gestation is unknown; especially where animals are produced naturally; in the case of cattle moving freely around, grass fed, heifers and steers together. No cows are killed with the main purpose… Read more »
What about animal welfare ?
OIE’s guidelines for animal welfare are respected in the countries where the FBS is collected (OIE Terrestrial Code 7.5 Slaughter of Animals). Link to the EFSA explanation : EFSA explains animal welfare.
Why is traceability important ?
Traceability is important because it provides a chain of identity of the product from the country and slaughterhouse of origin, to the processing, packaging and labeling facilities ready for sale and final distribution. As you can verify, traceability insures that the product you buy was made respecting regulations at each level. This unbroken chain of information means complete… Read more »
Is it normal that the trypsin products do not always have the same color ?
Some preparations of trypsin contain phenol red. Since the product is shipped with dry ice, there could be a significant CO2 build up in packaging. This CO2 may enter the solution and lower the pH slightly, giving an orange (around pH 6.5) vs. pinkish (around 7.3) color. The solution, if orange (acidic) can still be good to… Read more »
Are Biosera products sterile ?
Except where notified on product labels, Biosera sera and liquid media are sterile filtered. Sterility is not guaranteed after opening. The use of aseptic manipulation techniques is recommended.
What is the best way to thaw serum ?
Serum is thawed at 2-8°C to prevent degradation; alternatively, it may be thawed at room temperature with periodic agitation to resuspend the contents. Thawed serum should be mixed thoroughly before being added to cell culture medium. Temperatures above 37°C can compromise serum performance by accelerating the degradation of critical serum factors, and should be avoided in… Read more »