Background: International standards indicate that bone allografts for human use should be stored in a -40 degrees C or colder environment and the storage time should be up to 5 years. Bone allografts contain lipids which oxidate and become toxic with time.
Material and methods: We determined lipid oxidation in femoral head bone allografts by headspace gas chromatography at different storage temperatures and storage times.
Results: We found that lipid oxidation in fresh-frozen bone allograft was influenced by storage temperature and storage time. Lipid oxidation was significantly more rapid at -30 degrees C than at -70 degrees C. Even at -70 degrees C, however, some oxidation occurred but it was quite minimal after 3 years.
Interpretation: Because of the negative effects of lipid oxidation, we recommend a storage temperature of -70 degrees C or lower for bone allografts.