Atlas Biologicals

Fetal Bovine Serum - 100% US Origin FBS & USDA Approved Origin FBS

Fetal Bovine Serum (FBS)

Fetal Bovine Serum is harvested from the fetuses of pregnant cows at slaughter. FBS is typically harvested by means of cardiac puncture.

Fetal Bovine Serum may be sourced from the USA or imported in accordance with USDA regulations.

Fetal Bovine Serum (FBS) is used in cell cultures to supply a rich variety of proteins including growth factors, hormones, vitamins, and other nutrients that support survival, growth, and division of cells.

Fetal Bovine Serum is the most widely used type of serum-supplement for eukaryotic cells in in-vitro cell cultures because it is considered the ideal cell growth supplement compared to other types of sera. FBS contains significantly lower levels of antibodies compared to newborn or adult sera. This minimizes the risk of reactions to antibodies for the cells growing in the culture. Furthermore, Fetal Bovine Serum’s high nutrient content and unique combination of growth factors makes FBS the most effective cell growth promoter for virtually any cell culture system.

Serum is the fluid component of blood, refined to eliminate clotting factors, white blood cells, red blood cells, and platelets. Fetal Bovine Serum (FBS) is harvested from the fetuses of pregnant cattle during slaughter that have been deemed fit for human consumption by a veterinarian through ante-mortem and post-mortem inspection. After initial collection, FBS is refined to remove:

Thus, Fetal Bovine Serum could be defined as blood plasma without clotting factors.

Fetal Bovine Serum 500mL bottle

The final Fetal Bovine Serum (FBS) product is a yellow-colored which is rich in proteins, nutrients, and growth factors while having lower levels of antibodies. Bovine Serum Albumin (BSA) is the largest component of FBS.

Fetal Bovine Serum may be sourced from the USA or imported in accordance with USDA regulations.

Common FBS terms defined.

Fetal Bovine Serum Products

Atlas Biological’s 100% US Origin FBS is collected from facilities located in the United States.  Serum is filtered through a series of 0.1um pore-sized filters, including integrity-tested filters to provide a product suitable for cell culture.

All animal origin material in Atlas Biologicals’ Fetal Bovine Serum (USDA Import Tested) was collected from fetuses harvested from healthy dams in facilities registered and inspected by the competent veterinary authority of the country of origin.

Compare Fetal Bovine Serum Products

Fetal Bovine Serum Manufacturing

Atlas specializes in producing the highest quality fetal bovine serum products which are utilized in human cell therapy clinical trials, cGMP settings, and for general research.

All our products are manufactured with raw materials that are traceable to the source. Products are derived from animals within the contiguous United States and countries approved by the USDA for import into the US. Imported Fetal Bovine Serum has the same detailed traceability as U.S. Origin.

All of our serum is manufactured and produced under strict Good Manufacturing Practices (cGMP) and comply with the highest level of industry standards.

Atlas is registered in TRACES by USDA/APHIS and maintains a certificate of suitability (EDQM).

Learn more about our Manufacturing Process for Fetal Bovine Serum.

Fetal Bovine Serum (FBS) Alternatives

What is an alternative to FBS? A product derived of bovine serum in which the biochemical specifications are similar to such a degree that the performance is comparable.

EqualFetal is an FBS Alternative Serum that features superior traceability, lot-to-lot consistency, and stable pricing.

FBS Alternative Bovine Serum is free of additives or supplements. The finished product maintains essentially the same chemical profile specifications as traditional FBS and is expected to behave similarly.

See known compatible and incompatible cell lines.

EqualFetal is highly similar to FBS, intended to be used interchangeably, and expected to perform the same with select cell lines. In fact, USP and ISIA FBS specifications are equivalent to EqualFetal.  EqualFetal is comprised of pure bovine serum and contains no additives.  Our proprietary collection methods reduce variability typically associated with lot-to-lot inconsistencies in FBS.

Fetal Bovine Serum Authenticity

The sale of adulterated serum is on the rise. While there’s nothing inherently wrong with blended products, we are frequently seeing blended products sold as pure FBS.

Our Director of Quality Assurance, Michelle Cheever, co-authored the article: A Method for Differentiating Fetal Bovine Serum from Newborn Calf Serum with Alyssa Master, Senior Manager, Science and Applications, Nucleus Biologics, and Rosemary Versteegen, Chief Executive Officer, International Serum Industry Association (ISIA). The methodology described in this paper differentiates fetal bovine serum from newborn calf serum on the basis of
biochemical composition.

Learn more about FBS Technical Information.

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