Clottable and nonclottable components in products derived from single animal bovine plasmas

The distribution of clottable and nonclottable absorbance between product and discard was determined for each step of a standard four-step procedure. Analyses of step 1 and step 2 products reveal the presence of components which differ in solubility in ethanol or (NH₄)₂SO₄. Solubility differences among comparable products apparently are the result of variable distributions of native components and their early degradation products. At step 1 the product is precipitated at 4% ethanol and ?1.4 °C. Clottability is 0.75 ± 0.05. Studies of the dependence of precipitate yield on clottable absorbance concentration for individual plasmas reveal a precise relation. As the plasma clottable absorbance concentration increases, the fraction due to precipitating components is constant. However, the sum of the solubilities of precipitating components and the concentration due to completely soluble components both increase linearly. At step 2 the product is precipitated at ~ 4.9 AU/ml, pH 6.4, 0.12 g/ml (NH₄)₂SO₄, and 22 °C. Elimination of nonclottable absorbance precipitated and occluded at step 1 increases clottability to 0.967 ± 0.009. At step 3 the product is recovered after discarding components which precipitate over 16 h, ~33 AU/ml, pH 6.4, Γ/2 0.3, and 0 °C. Product clottability is not increased but fibrin, present at ~3%, and nonclottable components are distributed at this step so that they precipitate preferentially at step 4 where the product is recovered after discarding precipitate which forms over 2 h at 5 AU/ml, pH 6.6, Γ/2 0.12, and 0 °C. Step 4 products have a clottability of 0.980 ± 0.004 and fibrin contents of 0.4 to 0.8%.