Why is bsa used

But if you choose anything at random, your experiment will likely be inefficient. Therefore, there are certain proteins that are directed for this type of work. These proteins bind more consistently to the membrane, improving assay sensitivity and reducing background interference. So why BSA then? The goal is to work with a protein that will keep your experiment in optimal conditions, so in the case of a blocking agent, particularly BSA, you want to consider types that are free of immunoglobulins.

The two most frequently used blocking agents in labs are nonfat milk and BSA. And there are pros and cons to each. Milk is usually more affordable and easily prepared from powder compared to BSA; however, milk is not good to use in avidin-biotin systems since milk contains biotin, and milk should not be used on phosphorylated proteins. Typically, when working with phosphorylated proteins, BSA tends to work better as a blocking agent. This is because milk has a variety of proteins, one being phosphoprotein casein, which leads to a higher background.

Search: Site Content Products Catalog. Advanced Search. Bovine Serum Albumin. In order to offer you the best possible experience, Rockland uses cookies. By continuing to browse the site, you agree to their use. Derived from cows, BSA is extracted from cow blood using one of three different purification methods: cold-organic solvent fractionation, heat shock, and ion exchange chromatography.

It is very useful in different biochemical and life science applications because of its lack of effect in many different biochemical reactions as it does not affect other enzymes that do not need it for stabilization. Another useful aspect of bovine serum is that it is small and can be easily stored. It is stable at room temperature for up to three weeks. In a solution, bovine serum should be stored between 2 and 8 degrees Celsius The bovine protein standard is the preferred standard in protein assays because in addition to its ability to increase signal in assays, bovine serum is affordable and easily mass-producible.

Since cow blood is a widely available byproduct of the cattle industry, highly pure samples of bovine serum albumin are very accessible at a low cost. The solution stability of Bovine Serum Albumin is excellent especially if the solutions are stored as frozen aliquots. Aggregation is also expected to occur at somewhat lower temperatures but at a relatively slower rate. Search - News - Store - Contact.