Fetal bovine serum quality identification method: Five-step method for laboratory system evaluation

1. Preliminary screening of appearance and physical and chemical indicators

After receiving the fetal bovine serum, the packaging integrity, labeling information and storage temperature should first be checked under cold chain conditions.Observe the appearance of the serum after melting, normal should be clear or slightly yellowish, no flocculation or obvious precipitation of the liquid.In case of turbidity, stratification, obvious deepening of hemoglobin color or odor, indicating that there may be problems in the collection, filtration or preservation of raw materials.

At the physical and chemical level, we can pay attention to common indicators such as osmotic pressure, pH, total protein, and hemoglobin.Different cells are sensitive to osmotic pressure and pH, and are generally required to be compatible with the cell culture system.Elevated hemoglobin may reflect hemolysis caused by the blood sampling or separation process, which needs to be judged in combination with other indicators.

2. Microbiological and endotoxin safety screening

Quality identification cannot be done with the naked eye alone.Mycoplasma, bacterial, fungal contamination, and endotoxin levels need to be tested by pharmacopoeial or industry-accepted methods.Sterility testing, mycoplasma culture, or nucleic acid testing are common items; endotoxin testing can be performed using the reagent method, and the results should meet the general requirements of cell culture.

Check the completeness of the test report provided by the supplier

Sterile and mycoplasma samples are kept in batches upon arrival and sent for inspection

Concerned about clarity of endotoxin testing methods and criteria

3. Cell function verification is the key link

Qualified physicochemical and safety indicators are not exactly equivalent to excellent cell culture performance.Sensitive cell lines can be used for growth curve, doubling time, clonal formation rate or specific protein expression detection, with confirmed control serum batches