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You're Serious about Serum on Every Level

Our FBS makes your grade

Fetal Bovine Serum that Makes the Grade

Scientist sitting at a tissue culture hood, looking at a six well plate with red media.

FBS for Cell Culture

Finding the right FBS has never been easier. As cell culturists, we understand how important it is to find the fetal bovine serum (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.

Explore our learning center and discover:

  • Sera selection and the different types of sera
  • Frequently asked questions
  • Fetal bovine serum basics

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.

Request a Serum Sample

Calcium fluctuation in HL-1 cells using ourFBS after five passages and detected with Fluo-8 AM.

All About Fetal Bovine Serum

Have questions about serum? Fetal bovine serum is an important part of your cell culture experiment, so it’s crucial to know as much as possible about your FBS. Discover biological, quality, and regulatory information about sera and other answers to your frequently asked questions, such as:

  • How to properly store and thaw serum
  • Testing and quality standards
  • Why there is lot-to-lot variability in serum

Technical Articles and Support

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Scientist in full protective gown and mask looking through a microscope at cells in a T flask.

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.

Explore which class of FBS works best for your cell culture workflow through our FBS categories - FBS Classic, FBS Premier, and FBS Select. These categories can help you choose the FBS for your application based on parameters such as geographic origin, irradiation status, and special application testing.

Cell Culture Media Preparation Workflow

Prepare

Six media bottles filled with clear and red culture media in a V formation. Flask with red culture media in front.

Sterilize

Scientist at the tissue culture hood filtering red culture media. Media in the top compartment is separated by the teal filter into the unlabeled bottle on the bottom.

Supplement

Serum bottle in the background halfway filled with golden liquid. In the foreground, a pipette partially filled with gold liquid is pulling out of a bottle top and dripping.

Store or Use

Blue gloved hand pulling an ampule of cells from a white cold box labeled "2B-Box 3".
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.

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.

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