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Gibco FoamAway Irradiated AOF Antifoaming Agent

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Control foam in bioreactor systems

Foam accumulation is a persistent challenge in bioreactor systems. Proteins, peptides, and surfactants in culture media stabilize gas bubbles, allowing foam to build during high-aeration phases. The foam often disrupts oxygen transfer, contaminates vent filters and gas lines, reduces effective working volume, and causes overflow. These conditions affect mammalian suspension cultures and microbial fermentation systems alike. Gibco FoamAway Irradiated Animal Origin-Free (AOF) Antifoaming Agent is a ready-to-use, terminally sterilized foam control solution designed to address these challenges while maintaining sterility in cGMP manufacturing environments.

Benefits of FoamAway Irradiated AOF

Gibco FoamAway Irradiated AOF is designed to allow foam control in bioreactor and cell culture systems while reducing preparation burden and supporting regulatory requirements for cGMP manufacturing. The ready-to-use, AOF formulation is terminally sterilized via gamma irradiation, enabling aseptic deployment without the need for autoclaving.

 

Benefits included:

  • Ready-to-use convenience
  • Terminally sterilized via gamma irradiation (SAL 10⁻⁶)
  • Rapid defoaming performance (<15 seconds per USP assay)
  • AOF formulation
  • 8-month shelf life at room temperature (15 °C to 30 °C)
  • USP-grade simethicone formulation with methylcellulose

Performance characteristics and specifications

Gibco FoamAway Irradiated AOF contains 30% simethicone emulsion USP (Dow Corning Q7-2587) with methylcellulose, diluted with Water for Injection (WFI) grade purified water.

 

The product is terminally sterilized via gamma irradiation to a sterility assurance level (SAL) of 10⁻⁶, verified in accordance with ANSI/AAMI/ISO 11137, per AAMI TIR No. 33:2005.

 

In USP defoaming assays, the formulation demonstrates <15-second foam collapse performance. Supplied in media bags, it is suitable for aseptic connection without manual dilution.

 

Specification Detail
Formulation 30% simethicone emulsion USP (Dow Corning Q7-2587) with methylcellulose, diluted with WFI-grade purified water
Sterility method Terminally sterilized via gamma irradiation
Sterility assurance level SAL 10⁻⁶ (verified per AAMI TIR No. 33:2005)
Defoaming performance <15 seconds in USP performance assay
Shelf life 8 months (from the date of irradiation)
Storage conditions Room temperature (15 °C to 30 °C)
Packaging formats 0.5 L in 1 L bag (A1036902) and 2.5 L in 5 L bag (A1036901)
Animal-derived components None
Physical form Suspension (separation may occur during storage and shipping)

Applications in bioprocessing workflows

Gibco FoamAway Irradiated AOF is designed for broad applicability across mammalian cell culture, microbial fermentation, and multiple bioreactor operation modes, including fed-batch and perfusion. The product can function as both an antifoaming agent to prevent foam formation and a defoaming agent to address foam that has already formed in culture systems.

Mammalian cell culture systems

FoamAway Irradiated AOF is designed for Chinese hamster ovary (CHO), HEK293, hybridoma, and other mammalian suspension cultures. The AOF formulation supports regulatory requirements for therapeutic protein production.

 

Microbial fermentation

FoamAway addresses proteinaceous foam during bacterial and yeast fermentations, which is common in high-density cultures with aggressive aeration and agitation. Applications include E. coli, B. subtilis, Pichia pastoris, and other microbial systems for recombinant protein and plasmid DNA production.

Fed-batch and perfusion bioreactors

FoamAway allows foam control in extended fed-batch and perfusion bioreactor operations running for multiple days or weeks. The terminally sterilized, ready-to-connect format supports foam management throughout long culture runs.
 

Ordering information

Discover other functional additives and reagents

Gibco FoamAway Irradiated AOF is part of a broader portfolio of functional additives and reagents designed to overcome cell culture challenges across bioreactor operations, metabolic support, and productivity enhancement. Related products include recombinant human insulin for metabolic pathways and other serum-free supplements for CHO and mammalian culture systems. Integrated evaluation of foam control agents alongside media, feeds, and functional additives supports more coordinated process development strategies.
 

Frequently asked questions

Excessive foam in bioreactor systems disrupts oxygen transfer, contaminates vent filters and gas lines, causes culture overflow and product loss, and reduces effective working volume. Proteins, peptides, surfactants, and other media components act as foam stabilizers. Foam is particularly problematic in systems with high aeration rates, aggressive agitation, or elevated protein concentrations, where unchecked foam accumulation can compromise culture integrity and process performance.

FoamAway arrives pre-diluted at the optimal simethicone concentration, reducing manual dilution steps. It is terminally sterilized via gamma irradiation to SAL 10⁻⁶. Autoclaving can cause phase separation and performance degradation in antifoam emulsions. Supplied in ready-to-connect media bags for aseptic addition to bioreactor systems, FoamAway reduces contamination risk compared with traditional antifoams that require manual dilution, sterilization, and addition.

Gibco FoamAway Irradiated AOF is designed for use in CHO, HEK293, hybridoma, and other mammalian suspension cultures for monoclonal antibody (mAb) production, recombinant protein expression, and viral vector manufacturing. The formulation contains no human or animal-derived components, supporting regulatory requirements for therapeutic protein production in cGMP manufacturing environments.

FoamAway undergoes terminal sterilization via gamma irradiation to SAL 10⁻⁶, per AAMI TIR No. 33:2005, meeting ANSI/AAMI/ISO 11137 requirements. The AOF formulation reduces the risk of adventitious agents. Manufactured with USP-grade components, 30% simethicone emulsion USP, and WFI-grade water, the ready-to-use format reduces manual preparation steps. Verification documents, Certificates of Analysis (COAs), and regulatory support documentation can be made available upon request.

Cell culture resources


The Cell Culture Resource Hub showcases technical documents, application notes, and workflow guides to evaluate media, feed strategies, and culture conditions across development and scale-up. These resources offer practical guidance for improving consistency and understanding how different formulations perform in upstream processes.

Reduce contamination risk with FoamAway AOF

For Research Use or Further Manufacturing. Not for diagnostic use or direct administration into humans or animals.