Dear colleagues,
We have a Nanodrop model (Nano-300 AllSheng) which allows for scanning samples from 200-800 nm. I was thinking whether it could be used as an alternative to more sophisticate methods of sample compositional analysis, e.g. purity of honey?
I was wondering if anyone here has ever experimented to use a nanodrop in that context, instead of usual DNA/RNA purity or protein dosage analyses. Please provide any relevant insights.
Thanks in advance,
Jon Ashley: Thanks for your impressions. The 200-800nm scan would be for absorbance. The plan is to clean after use.
I also don't recommend you to use nanodrop to test the purity of honey. Nanodrop is designed for calculate DNA/RNA concentration. If you apply honey samples on Nanodrop, it probably cannot work well in the next DNA/RNA examination. If you want to test the purity of honey, the main detection methods are carbon isotope method or thin layer chromatography.
@Le Ying, you may have read from manuals that Nanodrop is officially recommended for use in estimating protein concentration, microbial growth, and detecting non-nucleotide) contaminants from crude nucleotide extracts? They give a list of compatible solvents, but no restrictions of use. I see the instrument for what it is: a nanoliter-scale spectrophotometer. Honey is just an example.
I remain waiting to hear from truly curious scientists who have used it with samples other beyond the usual bread-and-butter of Molecular Biology.
I have returned to answer my own question, and encourage colleagues to break the habit and try out Nanodrops with samples other than DNA/RNA.
I have successfully employed this machine in rapidly assessing the purity of alkaloid extractions, using synthetic analogues as controls. No cross-contamination nor other issues with the equipment were perceived, provided we cleaned the equipment properly with compatible solvents between each use.
My paper describing the method is available below:
Article Gas-chromatography and UV-spectroscopy of Hymenoptera venoms...
Raw data is available at:
http://dx.doi.org/10.17632/cpnscw2gkc.1
Hope this discussion inspires others.
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