FAQ

We have our own laboratory, but we only provide product verification experimental services for our core clients.

500 units for standard customization.

Yes, our manufacturing factory is ISO certified.

Yes, we can supply a complete set of documents compliant with local regulations for our products sold worldwide.

Yes – Global technical teams available for critical projects (48-hour response in EU/NA/APAC regions).

Serum, due to its rich composition of proteins, oligo-elements, and growth factors, provides all the necessary nutrients and components for the survival, proliferation, and growth of cells.

FRIGO guarantees a high level of quality, traceability, and biosecurity, notably through an ISO 9001 certification obtained in 2006 and revalidated every 3 years by an accredited body, comprehensive documentation, and supplier audits involved throughout the entire production process.

Serum is thawed at +2°C/+8°C to prevent any degradation of mitogenic factors. It can also be thawed at room temperature by periodically shaking to resuspend the contents. Temperatures above 37°C can compromise the serum’s performance by accelerating the degradation of critical serum factors, and should be avoided in the laboratory. Thawed serum must be carefully mixed before being added to the cell culture medium.

After thawing the serum, precipitates and turbidity may appear. These are fibrin precipitates.
If the serum is incubated at 37°C for a prolonged period, calcium phosphate precipitates may appear, in addition to those of fibrin.
In both cases, to our knowledge, this does not alter the performance of the serum in cell culture.

Serum is heat-inactivated by the action of heat. This allows for the inactivation of complement factors present in the serum. During heat inactivation, the product temperature is monitored using a control vial, in addition to the vial intended for cell culture. The vials are thawed at +2°C/+8°C, then placed in a water bath at +80°C. When the temperature of the control vial reaches +50°C, set the water bath thermostat to +70°C.
Then, when the vial temperature reaches +55°C, lower the thermostat to +60°C. When the temperature of the control vial is at +56°C, set the thermostat to +56°C and allow to incubate for 30 minutes. Stir the vial to be heat-inactivated every 5 to 10 minutes. Check the temperature regularly. Maintain the temperature at +56°C by adjusting the thermostat, adding cold water, or using the lid. After incubation, allow the serum to cool to room temperature for 30 minutes, then freeze it at -20°C.

Note: Agitation is crucial for the good quality of the serum. If the serum is not properly mixed, a precipitate of salts, proteins, and lipids will appear, which can give the serum a gelled appearance. These deposits are not toxic to cell culture but affect the serum’s appearance and consistency. Incubating the serum at +56°C for more than 30 minutes can deteriorate serum growth factors, thereby decreasing the serum’s performance.

Serum can be stored between +2°C/+8°C for up to 8 weeks without its performance being diminished (*).

(*) Art to Science, Vol.19, No.2, “Serum Stability at Refrigerated Temperatures (2-8C)

Serum should be stored frozen at -20°C (-10°C/-40°C) and protected from light. If stored at temperatures below -40°C, the vials can become fragile, increasing the risk of breakage.

High-quality serum can come from any country, provided it is collected, imported, and processed in compliance with all applicable regulatory and industrial requirements. No continent or country producing FBS has an inherent advantage, in terms of quality, compared to other origins.

Serum is the liquid component extracted from clotted whole blood after centrifugation. It is obtained from the blood of the fetal calf, collected aseptically within the slaughterhouse. Fetal Bovine Serum is a widely used and necessary product for the culture of many cell lines, as it provides numerous nutrients and allows cells to proliferate in vitro. Fetal Bovine blood is only collected in the absence of vital signs from the fetus

There is a wide range of applications for Fetal Bovine Serum. The most important is in the field of biopharmaceutical products and vaccines. It is used in the research, manufacturing, and control of human and veterinary vaccines and medicines, many of which are at the forefront of development.

Fetal Bovine Serum is also widely used in research.

Serum-free alternatives exist. Since each cell type has different requirements, their use can be complex and costly.

In order to select a high-performing FBS for stem cell culture, Frigo recommends testing different lots on your cell lines. Frigo offers qualified FBS lots for stem cell culture.

Fetal Bovine Serum is obtained from the clotted and centrifuged blood of the fetal calf, collected aseptically within the slaughterhouse. Fetal blood is collected from the fetuses of pregnant cows, slaughtered in accordance with the OIE (World Organisation for Animal Health) directives and internationally recognized veterinary inspection standards. Fetal Bovine blood is only collected in the absence of vital signs from the fetus

The origin of the serum has no influence on cell growth. Frigo compared cell growth in FBS from seven different countries across three continents, and confirmed that, regardless of the country of origin, all cell lines tested had the same average performance.

An FBS lot may give good results for a specific cell line, but not for another. The “serum quality” is specific to each cell line. This is why FBS testing is widely used when dealing with sensitive cell lines. Frigo performs the most comprehensive analysis of biochemical parameters and tests on the sector’s cell lines, and makes the results available on the certificates of analysis.

It is a question of FBS importation, which is less restricted in Europe than in the United States. The International Serum Industry Association (ISIA) supports efforts to harmonize import rules, thus suggesting compliance with OIE recommendations. In the meantime, FBS in the United States remains more than twice as expensive as in Europe.

The demand for FBS is increasing in parallel with the latest research developments, particularly stem cells, cell therapy, new vaccines, and proteomics.

The demand for FBS is increasing in parallel with the latest research developments, particularly stem cells, cell therapy, new vaccines, and proteomics.

Cell culture, or in vitro culture, corresponds to the set of techniques allowing animal cells, mainly, to be maintained outside of their original tissue environment under controlled survival conditions.

A cell culture medium is a medium in which all the elements necessary for cell survival and growth are found. It is composed of a base medium, a complex mixture of mineral salts, carbohydrates, vitamins, amino acids, metabolic precursors, growth factors, hormones, and oligo-elements, and supplements, such as FBS.

Serum, particularly Fetal Bovine Serum, is a product very rich in proteins, oligo-elements, as well as growth factors enabling cell proliferation. It also contains attachment factors creating a “coating” effect on the support plastic, thus increasing cell adherence. It is an essential product in cell culture due to the various components it provides.

Tetracyclines are a family of broad-spectrum antibiotics that inhibit bacterial protein synthesis by blocking the binding of aminoacyl-tRNA to the ribosome. Due to growing concerns regarding the development of antibiotic-resistant microbes, the use of tetracycline as a growth promoter was banned in the EU in the early 1970s. However, in the rest of the world, tetracycline is still among the most frequently used antibiotics in livestock farming.

Since 1992, the tetracycline-controlled transcriptional activation system has been used for the induction (Tet-on) or inhibition (Tet-off) of the expression of certain genes in cell line or animal models. Both systems are very sensitive to tetracycline, even in small amounts, present in the FBS. The use of tetracycline-free FBS makes it possible to control the induction of these systems in your different applications.

Please contact your Frigo representative for more information or to help you select the lot best suited to your tetracycline-sensitive application.