Introduction

It is necessary to conduct decalcification of bones and other hard tissue for the purpose of microscopic analysis of the sample during regular histological processing. The sample is completely immersed in the decalcifying solution. The length of time needed for demineralization (decalcification) depends on the size and density of the treated sample. Bone and hard tissue decalcification requires inorganic or organic acids, or chelating reagents. OsteoFast 2 consists of inorganic formic acid. It rapidly removes calcium, that way softens the tissue and makes it ready for further processing. Test samples are bone and hard tissue (teeth) and keratinized tissue (filiform warts, nails). OsteoFast 2’s light yellow color distinguishes the product from other BioGnost’s products for decalcification (light blue OsteoFast 1 and colorless OsteoSens). Because of this, it can also be distinguished from other fixatives and solvents used in histological laboratories.