Quick Definition
What is Calf Serum?: Calf serum is serum collected from newborn or young bovine calves (0–3 weeks old) rather than from bovine fetuses as in FBS. It has lower growth factor content than FBS and higher gamma globulins (bovine IgG from colostrum) but is produced without fetal blood collection and used in specific applications where FBS is not required.
Buy animal sera from EU stock
Request a quote – EU stock, batch documentation, lot reservation up to 36 months.
- Newborn Calf Serum (NCS) – US origin
- Calf Serum (CS) – US origin
- Newborn Calf Serum (NCS) – Australian origin
- Calf Serum (CS) – Australian origin
- Horse Serum – EU origin
- Donor Horse Serum (DHS)
- Normal Goat Serum (NGS)
- Normal Donkey Serum
- Normal Rabbit Serum (NRS)
- Guinea Pig Serum – complement source
- Normal Mouse Serum
- Rat Serum
- All animal sera – 16 species
EU stock · free test sample · no minimum order · lot reservation up to 36 months
When to use calf serum instead of FBS
Calf serum is a cost-effective alternative for established cell lines that do not require the high growth factor content of foetal serum: MDBK cell culture in BVDV testing; Vero and BSC-1 in vaccine production; mycoplasma testing cell lines; and diagnostic cell culture systems where lower cost of calf serum is operationally significant at scale.
Looking for FBS for your cell culture? Fetal bovine serum (FBS) – all 9 grades at a glance →
Key Facts
- FBS: collected from bovine fetuses — pre-immune, very low IgG, high growth factor content
- Newborn Calf Serum (NCS): collected from calves 0–2 weeks old — some maternal IgG from colostrum, moderate growth factors
- Donor Calf Serum (DCS): collected from calves 3 months+ — higher IgG, lower growth factors than FBS
- Iron-supplemented calf serum (IFCS): iron added to support cell growth — used as FBS substitute for some cell lines
- Accepted as FBS alternative for: MDBK cells (BVDV testing), BSC-1, Vero and some established cell lines
- NOT suitable as FBS replacement for: hybridoma cloning, primary cell culture, stem cell research, or assays requiring high growth factor content
Further Reading
SeamlessBio · Passau, Germany · info@seamlessbio.de
Related products & protocols: Calf serum (CS) · Newborn calf serum (NCS) · Fetal bovine serum (FBS)
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