Food grade serum-free media optimization growth factor discovery kit (Qk505-FG)

Protein background

Serum-free media allows for precise control over the nutrients, growth factors, and other components present in the culture environment. This defined composition facilitates reproducibility and consistency in experimental results, as researchers can accurately manipulate the culture conditions to meet the specific needs of their cells.

Fetal bovine serum (FBS), commonly used in traditional cell culture, contains a complex mixture of proteins, hormones, growth factors, and other components whose composition can vary between batches and suppliers. This variability can introduce inconsistencies and confounding factors into experimental results. Serum-free media eliminates this source of variability, resulting in more reliable and reproducible data. FBS and other animal-derived sera carry the risk of contamination with adventitious agents such as viruses, mycoplasma, and prions. Using serum-free media reduces the likelihood of introducing these contaminants into cell cultures, minimizing the risk of compromising experimental outcomes and biosafety concerns.

The use of serum-free media aligns with principles of animal welfare and ethical considerations, as it reduces the dependence on animal-derived products in cell culture practices. This approach supports efforts to reduce the use of animals in research and aligns with the 3Rs principle (Replacement, Reduction, Refinement) for humane animal research.

Serum-free media are particularly valuable in cellular agriculture and translational and clinical research, where the use of animal-derived products may raise regulatory and safety concerns. By employing serum-free media, researchers can develop cell-based therapies and tissue-engineered products and cultivated meat that meet regulatory standards for safety, quality, and consistency.

It is generally accepted that best practice is to use growth factors from the target species for reasons of consumer acceptance, regulatory considerations and species-matched activity including differences in receptor binding and efficacy in some cases. Some growth factor protein sequences are highly conserved and 100% identical across species. There is currently a lack of commercial availability of cultured-meat and fish relevant species-matched growth factors, so often human proteins, or indeed bovine serum, are used as a surrogate. It’s advisable to determine the conservation of protein sequence when selecting appropriate growth factors and switch to species-matched proteins if feasible.

Qkine provide extensive quality analysis, documentation and support with novel food dossier preparation. Qkine food grade growth factors are manufactured in the UK under a food manufacturing HACCP regime. Full raw materials traceability, allergen analysis, CoO, CoA, beta-lactam-free and animal origin-free certification are available.

Qkine high quality food grade products are intended solely for use as food processing aids, ex vivo cell manufacturing and research use. Not for direct human consumption, therapeutic or diagnostic use.

The authorization of novel foods, including the use of growth factors as food processing aids, is regulated by regional government agencies. The use of our products as food processing aids in novel foods requires the end-user to obtain the necessary regulatory approvals.