Sterilizing Blood Serum - Autoclaving at 121°C

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Autoclaving at 121°C for 10 minutes is identified as the suitable method for sterilizing blood serum, despite concerns about the potential denaturation of plasma proteins. The discussion highlights the misconception that filtration could effectively sterilize blood serum, emphasizing that sterilization aims to eliminate microorganisms rather than simply filter them out. Participants express confusion about the compatibility of heat sterilization with the thermolabile nature of blood serum. It is clarified that while some denaturation occurs, the autoclaving process is optimized to balance sterilization and protein integrity. The conversation concludes with a better understanding of the limitations of filtration for this specific application.
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Homework Statement



Which of the following methods is suitable to sterilize a liquid medium,containing blood serum?
(1) pasteurization (2) Autoclaving at 121degrees celsius for 10 minutes (3) Boiling at 100 degree celsius for 10 minutes (4) Filtration using a sterile membrane filter (5) Freezing at -20 degrees celsius
Ans given is (2)

Homework Equations


n/a



The Attempt at a Solution


I don't understand why it can't be (4).Why can't we use a sterile filter to sterilize blood serum,afterall sterilization is to remove or kill any microorganisms present in a medium,right?
My other question is,isn't blood serum a thermolabile medium so how can we sterilize it by heating it,without denaturing any of the plasma proteins present?
 
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What is in blood serum? What is it used for? Are you sure you want to filter everything away?

As for denaturation, yes some of that will happen, but I think you can be sure the temperature and time for autoclaving is carefully chosen and optimized for its purposes.
 
Are you sure you want to filter everything away?
I didn't think of it that way.
Thanks.now I understand,why we can't use a filter.
 

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