What are the benefits and disadvantages of using heat-inactivated FBS in cell culture?

Heating inactivates complement. Active complement can participate in cytolytic events, contract smooth muscle, release histamine from mast cells and platelets, and activate lymphocytic and macrophage cells. Applications where heat-inactivated serum is recommended include immunological studies and culturing of embryonic stem cells (ESCs), insect cells, and smooth muscle cells. Heat inactivation helps to achieve bottle-to-bottle and lot-to-lot stability by neutralizing many factors that can vary largely from lot to lot. There aren't necessarily disadvantages to heat inactivation of FBS, but there is some evidence that suggests there may be no added benefit to it unless you are carrying out immune studies. Note: Heat inactivation is performed in a 56 degrees C water bath for 30 min with swirling every 10 min or so for heat distribution and to lower the degree of protein aggregation/flocculant precipitation. Note: If the time or temperature is exceeded, the serum may thicken to a gel. If this occurs, the serum is no longer usable. Unnecessary heat inactivation can take up time and potentially lead to wasted reagents if a mistake is made during the protocol 1 . 1. Pellerin, et al., Bioengineering, published in 2021.Find additional tips, troubleshooting help, and resources within our Mammalian Cell Culture Basics Support Center .

Fetal Bovine Serum, ultra-low IgG, US origin, One Shot™ format

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Gibco™

Fetal Bovine Serum, ultra-low IgG, US origin, One Shot™ format

Gibco™ fetal bovine sera offer excellent value for basic cell culture, specialty research, and specific assays.

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Catalog Number	Quantity	Format
16250078	500 mL	Bottle
A3381901	50 mL	One Shot

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Catalog number 16250078

Price (KRW)

1,411,000

Each

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Quantity:

500 mL

Format:

Bottle

Price (KRW)

1,411,000

Each

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Gibco™ fetal bovine sera offer excellent value for basic cell culture, specialty research, and specific assays, earning the trust of researchers with consistent quality and award-winning support that helps meet your research needs and budget requirements

Sera category: Specialty
Origin: United States
Endotoxin level: ≤50 EU/mL (levels routinely ≤10 EU/mL)
Hemoglobin level: ≤25 mg/dL

IgG levels are less than 5 μg/mL, and the BVD titer is low or not detectable.

This reagent is classified as a medical device in several countries. If it is not regulated as a medical device in specific region, it should be used for laboratory use only.

For research use or further manufacturing use only. Serum and blood proteins are not for direct administration into humans or animals.

Specifications

Shipping ConditionFrozen

SpeciesCattle/Bovine

AgeFetal

Country of OriginUnited States

FormLiquid

FormatBottle

Product TypeFetal Bovine Serum

Quantity500 mL

Serum TreatmentReduced IgG

Unit SizeEach

Contents & Storage

Storage conditions: ≤-10°C
Shipping conditions: Frozen

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Documents & Downloads

Certificates

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Lot #Certificate TypeDateCatalog Number(s)

3204761Certificate of AnalysisJun 07, 2025A3381901

3204761Certificate of AnalysisJun 07, 202516250078

3194034Certificate of AnalysisMay 17, 202516250078

3194034Certificate of AnalysisMay 17, 2025A3381901

3178213Certificate of AnalysisApr 19, 2025A3381901

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Safety Data Sheets

SDS

Scientific Resources

Brochure: Gibco Sera Guide

Brochure: Gibco Cell Culture Sera for Bioprocessing

Brochure: One Shot FBS 50 mL Bottle

Flyer: Gibco FBS FAQs (frequently asked questions)

Frequently asked questions (FAQs)

Heating inactivates complement. Active complement can participate in cytolytic events, contract smooth muscle, release histamine from mast cells and platelets, and activate lymphocytic and macrophage cells. Applications where heat-inactivated serum is recommended include immunological studies and culturing of embryonic stem cells (ESCs), insect cells, and smooth muscle cells.
Heat inactivation helps to achieve bottle-to-bottle and lot-to-lot stability by neutralizing many factors that can vary largely from lot to lot.
There aren't necessarily disadvantages to heat inactivation of FBS, but there is some evidence that suggests there may be no added benefit to it unless you are carrying out immune studies.

Note: Heat inactivation is performed in a 56 degrees C water bath for 30 min with swirling every 10 min or so for heat distribution and to lower the degree of protein aggregation/flocculant precipitation. Note: If the time or temperature is exceeded, the serum may thicken to a gel. If this occurs, the serum is no longer usable. Unnecessary heat inactivation can take up time and potentially lead to wasted reagents if a mistake is made during the protocol¹.

1. Pellerin, et al., Bioengineering, published in 2021.

Find additional tips, troubleshooting help, and resources within our Mammalian Cell Culture Basics Support Center.

This product can be stored at 4 degrees C for up to 4 weeks. Once the medium has been supplemented with serum, we recommend using it within 2-4 weeks.

Find additional tips, troubleshooting help, and resources within our Cell Culture Support Center.

We recommend thawing the serum overnight at 4 degrees C or in a 37 degrees C water bath, removing as soon as it is thawed. Once thawed, aliquot into single-use sizes and freeze the aliquots. Each aliquot should ideally be thawed only one additional time as repeated freeze-thaw cycles are not recommended.

Find additional tips, troubleshooting help, and resources within our Cell Culture Support Center.

You can test each new lot to be sure that it works for your specific applications. Alternatively, our serum sales team can determine the most consistent, highest-performing serum lot available using the Gibco iMatch Sera Lot Matching Tool.

Find additional tips, troubleshooting help, and resources within our Cell Culture Support Center.

Yes, after the overnight thaw, you can aliquot the serum into smaller, single-use aliquots and refreeze it.

Find additional tips, troubleshooting help, and resources within our Cell Culture Support Center.

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