Media & Balanced Salts FAQs

The most commonly requested customizations involve additions, deletions, substitutions, and concentration changes in the formulations of standard classical cell culture media. However, Atlanta Biologicals’ custom services also include the manufacture of customer-designed formulations.

If you are interested in Atlanta Biologicals’ custom manufacturing services, please use our form for a price quote. Or, contact us by phone or email to discuss your specific requirements. Atlanta Biologicals can supply you with cell culture media produced according to your specifications in quantities as low as 6 liters. We appreciate your interest and look forward to discussing your needs.

No. MaxiCell/Hybridoma-PF media are proprietary serum- and protein-free liquid media optimally formulated to grow hybridomas without the use of serum. Unlike traditional serum-free media that contain serum components such as albumin, transferrin and insulin or animal extracts, MaxiCell/Hybridoma-PF media are completely free of any proteins and peptides. Only defined chemical ingredients are used in the formulation of this product.

Serum should be kept frozen to preserve its growth properties. Once serum has been added to liquid culture media, typically at a concentration of 5-20%, the medium is generally stored refrigerated. Over time, at refrigerated temperatures, the serum will gradually lose its cell growth promoting properties. How long this takes depends upon your particular cell line. Some laboratories need to prepare their culture media fresh on a weekly basis to ensure proper growth of their cell lines. Other labs may have cell lines that are less fastidious and may keep their media for a month or more. It is best to determine for every particular cell line what is required for optimal cell growth.

Freezing of liquid cell culture media is not recommended due to the fact that freezing typically causes precipitation and formation of insoluble salt complexes.

Sodium bicarbonate is the most commonly used buffer in cell culture media due to its nutritional benefits and lack of cytotoxicity. Adding HEPES buffer to a cell culture medium will provide supplemental buffering capacity to the medium at physiological pH.

Sodium pyruvate is added to many low glucose and high glucose DMEM formulations. Sodium pyruvate can be used by cells as a readily accessible carbon source for energy production and other critical metabolic pathways, bypassing the need to produce it biosynthetically from glucose or amino acids. Some cell lines require the addition of pyruvate to the culture media since they lack the ability to convert glucose or amino acids into pyruvate.