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Merck

You're Serious about Serum on Every Level

Our FBS makes your grade

Fetal Bovine Serum that makes the grade.

Scientist culturing cells in a tissue culture hood

Finding the right FBS has never been easier

As cell culturists, we understand how important it is to find the FBS that is right for your lab needs and budget. Sustained, cost-effective cell growth and maintenance – along with the consistent culture outcomes that make your experimental results reproducible – depend on choosing and stocking appropriate–quality FBS.

Our extensive portfolio of FBS enables you to easily select from a curated list that meets your precise requirements and features your most relevant criteria.

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All about serum

Have questions about serum? Explore our learning center to discover more about the different types of sera and sera selection, frequently asked questions, how to properly store and thaw serum, and testing and quality standards.

  • Serum grade
  • Geographic origin
  • Suitability for different culture types
  • У-irradiated vs. non-irradiated
  • Heat-inactivation
  • Storage, thawing, and handling

Technical Articles and Support

Fetal Bovine Serum (FBS) – What You Need to Know
Discover the basics of using fetal bovine serum, including the factors that affect the price of sera for cell-based assays.

Frequently-asked Questions about Gamma-irradiated FBS (Serum) and Other Products for Cell Culture
Learn about gamma-radiation and why gamma-irradiated serum is used in cell culture.

Serum Cross Reference Tables
Find products to replace sera from Thermo Fisher/Gibco, Hycolne, Corning/Mediatech, Atlanta Biologicals, and more.

Learn about FBS

Serum selection made easy

You’re serious about your cell culture projects. So are we. Whether you are performing general cell culture, biomanufacturing, or specialty cell culture, finding the right sera for your project doesn’t need to be difficult. Discover which class of FBS works best for your cell culture workflow.

Explore FBS Categories

Cell Culture Media Preparation Workflow

Prepare

Cell culture media bottles

Sterilize

Scientist filtering cell culture media

Supplement

Cell culture serum drops from pipette

Store or Use

Scientist removing stored cells from cryo-storage
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Related Content Links
Fetal Bovine Serum (FBS) – What You Need to Know
Review the basics of using fetal bovine (or calf) serum for cell culture and how sourcing and regulations affect the price of sera for cell-based assays.
Freezing and Thawing FBS and Other Sera
Protect your investment with best practices for storing and thawing FBS and other sera. Sample FBS for validation in your cell culture protocol.
Serum for Cell and Tissue Culture FAQs
Find answers to frequently asked questions (FAQs) about FBS and other serum products, and links to related products.
Bovine Spongiform Encephalopathy (BSE)-Free Fetal Bovine Serum (FBS)
Ensure that bovine products for research and production are free of bovine spongiform encephalopathy. Find BSE-free products including fetal bovine serum (FBS).
Frequently Asked Questions About Gamma-Irradiated FBS (Serum) and Other Products for Cell Culture
Find answers to questions (FAQs) about fetal bovine serum (FBS) that is gamma-irradiated by the SER-TAIN™ process. Request a sample of FBS at Sigma-Aldrich.com.
Request a Serum Sample
Our portfolio consists of various types of sera, including but not limited to, bovine, calf, human, horse, goat, sheep, porcine and chicken. We also offer multiple origins such as US, USDA approved, Canadian, South American, Australian and New Zealand. Please fill out the form below and your serum specialist will contact you for further qualification and approval of the serum sample.
Related Applications
Cell Culture Media Preparation
Culture media preparation for in vitro cell cultivation including preparation of different media formats, sterilization methods, cell growth and regulation supplements, media storage and use.
Cell Growth & Maintenance
A synopsis of the conditions, media, nutrients, cultureware, and environments required for successful propagation of mammalian and yeast cells. Nutrient reagents, sterile technique and filtration, and requirements for 2D, 3D, and suspension cultures are described.
Mammalian Cell Culture
Applications, principles, and methods for in vitro mammalian cell culture including links to articles, protocols, and videos for proper aseptic technique, passaging and subculturing, and culture media considerations.
Primary Cell Culture
Primary cells isolated directly from human and animal sources maintain physiological relevance of the tissues from which they are derived, and are used for ADME/Tox screening. Find applications and methods for culturing mammalian primary cells in vitro.
Cell Culture Troubleshooting
Expert tips for correcting common problems with cell culture including bacterial and fungal contamination, debris in culture media, cell detachment or clumping, slow growth, and low viability.
3D Cell Culture
Applications, principles, and techniques for three-dimensional (3D) cell culture. Includes techniques and descriptions of scaffold and scaffold-free methods matrices for the culture of complex in vitro models including organoids and spheroids.
Stem Cell Culture
An overview of different stem cell types, stem cell culture basics and stem cell applications in basic research and clinical research applications, such as tissue regeneration, genetic diseases and cancer.
Cell Counting & Health Analysis
Techniques for counting cells and monitoring cell health and viability in culture, including calorimetric and fluorescent cell viability and proliferation assays. Methods for manual or automated cell counting include Coulter devices.
Related Product Categories
Fetal Bovine Serum (FBS)
FBS, or fetal bovine serum (also called FCS) is one of the most important supplements for mammalian cell culture. Choose FBS grade based on documentation requirements and application specificity.
Sera
Origin-certified, quality-controlled cell culture sera include FBS, other bovine sera, human serum, and sera from diverse animal species, rigorously screened for contaminants and performance-tested in culture.
Other Sera for Cell Culture
Although FBS is the most common serum variety used for cell culture, adult and newborn bovine serum and sera from other species are alternatives for cell culture supplementation.
Human Serum for Cell Culture
Human serum is used to culture human cells and is available as plasma-derived AB human serum, clotted whole blood AB human serum, heat inactivated preparations, and complement-depleted preparations.
Classical Media & Buffers
Choose from a range of optimized cell culture media formulations, including DMEM, RPMI-1640, and serum-free options for diverse cellular needs.
Supplements for Cell Culture
Cell culture supplements enable the customization of media with defined characteristics to support specific applications and serum-free culture needs. Our culture-grade supplements include ITS formulations, amino acids, vitamins, antibiotics, and reagents qualified for hybridoma and insect cell culture.
Mammalian Cell Lines
Cell lines from human and other mammalian species are essential for modeling disease and biological systems, and are critical tools for protein, antibody, virus, and vaccine production. We offer authenticated, contaminant-free cell lines, many in partnership with ECACC.
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