How should the serum be Heat Inactivated?

• Remove the desired bottle of serum from frozen storage.
• Begin by thawing the bottle of serum either at room temperature or use a heated/shaking water bath to thaw at 36⁰C until competed thawed. Be sure to set the shaking controls to slow in order to avoid possible submersion of bottles in water. If shaking water bath is not available, occasionally, swirl the bottle of serum gently to avoid precipitant from forming during the thawing and Heat Inactivation process.
• Once completely thawed, turn on the heated water bath (if not already on) and set to 56⁰C. Place both the bottle of serum and the control bottle with thermometer in the water bath.
• Closely monitor the control bottle’s temperature and once the thermometer reads 56⁰C, use a 30 minute timer and initiate heat inactivation procedure. During those 30 minutes, check the temperature regularly to ensure a stable temperature reading 56⁰C (+/-) 3⁰C.
• Once 30 minutes has elapsed, remove bottle of serum and control bottle, set aside at room temperature for 30 minutes – 1 hour (once the bottles have cooled), proceed to freeze the serum at ≤ -20⁰C.
• Drain water bath and clean accordingly in reference with Good Lab Practices.

The use of a heated/shaking water bath is highly recommended to ensure serum is properly mixed and is crucial to maintain serum quality. If not mixed properly, precipitants of proteins, lipids and salts will form. In the event a heated/shaking water bath is not readily available, be sure to gently swirl / mix the bottles of serum every 5-10 minutes to avoid inconsistencies of product quality. Heating the serum for elongated periods of time can destroy growth promoters and can enable deposits to form.