Improved ATP methodology for biomass assays

✍ Scribed by Schram, Eric ;van Witzenburg, Anne Weyens

• Publisher: John Wiley and Sons
• Year: 1989
• Weight: 569 KB
• Volume: 4
• Category: Article
• ISSN: 0884-3996
• DOI: 10.1002/bio.1170040153

✦ Synopsis

ATP methodology needs t o be further standardized and improved in order t o avoid the pitfalls that have sometimes hampered its application t o biomass assays. The following steps have been reconsidered as far as the bacteriological applications is concerned: (a) destruction of free and somatic ATP: replacement of apyrase by mammalian ATPase, (b) extraction of bacterial ATP: protection of luciferase by lipids against inhibitory effect of more readily accessible t o specific inhibition; cationic detergents with production of a constant light response.

New methods are proposed for the calibration of luminometers and for the matching of sample holders in multichannel instruments.

The limit of sensitivity of ATP assays is discussed in the light of currently available reagents and instruments.