Newborn bovine serum and fetal bovine serum are commonly used natural culture media for cell culture. Although they have similar uses, there are significant differences in the source of materials, collection methods, and serum composition.
Source differences
The serum of newborn cows comes from newly born cows that have been breastfed, while the serum of fetal cows comes from calves that have not yet been born or have just been delivered.
Comparison of collection methods
The acquisition of newborn bovine serum is achieved by directly extracting and isolating blood from the body of a calf during a specific period of time after birth. On the contrary, the collection of fetal bovine serum involves cesarean section surgery, which involves removing the fetus from the uterus of the pregnant cow and then extracting serum from the fetus's body.
Differences and similarities in serum components
The composition of newborn bovine serum and fetal bovine serum varies depending on their source and developmental stage. Compared to newborn bovine serum, fetal bovine serum is rich in higher concentrations and more balanced levels of cell growth promoting factors, adhesion promoting factors, hormones, and other bioactive substances. Fetal bovine serum also contains richer growth factors and nutrients, providing superior support for cell growth and proliferation.
Quality and Price
Fetal bovine serum is usually superior in quality to newborn bovine serum, mainly due to more rigorous standards and standardized operations during its collection process, and is not affected by breastfeeding activities. Given the above factors and the complex collection and processing procedures, the price of fetal bovine serum is usually higher than that of newborn bovine serum.
Newborn bovine serum and fetal bovine serum are both critical natural culture media for cell culture. However, fetal bovine serum is widely used in cell culture and scientific research applications due to its excellent composition and quality advantages.
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