Glossary
AOAC
The Association of Official Analytical Chemists (AOAC) is a globally recognized organization that establishes validated standards and certifications for analytical testing methods. AOAC-approved methods and kits are trusted for accuracy, reliability, and regulatory compliance in food safety, environmental testing, pharmaceuticals, and laboratory research.
Analyte
An analyte is the specific substance, chemical, or biomolecule being measured, detected, or quantified in a laboratory test or assay. Common analytes include toxins, hormones, contaminants, or proteins. Accurate identification of analytes is critical for laboratory testing, diagnostics, and quality control across food, environmental, and clinical industries.
Antibody
An antibody is a specialized protein produced by the immune system that binds specifically to a target antigen. In laboratory assays such as ELISA or immunoassays, antibodies serve as precise detection tools for proteins, toxins, and other molecules, enabling highly sensitive and specific measurement of analytes in research, diagnostics, and food safety testing.
Antigen
An antigen is a molecule capable of triggering an immune response and specifically recognized by antibodies. In immunoassays, antigens serve as targets for detection and quantification, making them essential for diagnostics, food safety monitoring, environmental analysis, and research applications.
Calibrator Solution
A calibrator solution contains a known concentration of a specific analyte and is used to generate a standard curve in quantitative assays. Calibrator solutions are critical for ensuring assay accuracy, reproducibility, and reliable measurement of unknown sample concentrations in laboratory testing, ELISA kits, and immunoassays.
Controls (Positive/Negative)
Controls, including positive and negative samples, are reference standards included in laboratory assays to validate accuracy and reliability. Positive controls confirm the assay’s ability to detect the analyte, while negative controls ensure no false positives occur. Proper use of controls is essential for laboratory quality assurance, food safety, clinical diagnostics, and research testing.
Crop Protection Chemical
Crop protection chemicals include pesticides, herbicides, and fungicides used to prevent pest and disease damage to agricultural crops. Testing for crop protection chemical residues is critical for food safety, environmental compliance, and regulatory monitoring to ensure safe consumption and protect human and animal health.
ELISA (Enzyme‑Linked Immunosorbent Assay)
ELISA is a highly sensitive laboratory technique that uses antibodies and enzyme reactions to detect and quantify specific analytes such as toxins, hormones, or proteins. Widely used in food safety, environmental monitoring, pharmaceuticals, and clinical diagnostics, ELISA provides accurate, reproducible, and scalable results for research and regulatory applications.
ELISA Plate Kit
An ELISA plate kit provides a complete, ready-to-use format for performing ELISA assays. It includes coated microtiter plates, antibodies, enzyme conjugates, calibrators, and controls. These kits simplify laboratory workflows, improve assay reproducibility, and enable precise quantification of analytes in research, diagnostics, and food safety testing.
Endotoxin
Endotoxins are toxic components of the outer membrane of Gram-negative bacteria that can induce immune responses in humans and animals. Laboratory assays for endotoxins are essential for pharmaceutical safety, medical device testing, and biological research, ensuring that products are free from harmful bacterial contamination.
GMP (Good Manufacturing Practices)
Good Manufacturing Practices (GMP) are regulatory guidelines ensuring consistent quality, safety, and efficacy in the production of laboratory reagents, kits, and pharmaceuticals. Compliance with GMP standards guarantees reliable assay performance, reduces contamination risk, and ensures products meet regulatory requirements in research, clinical, and industrial laboratories.
Hapten
A hapten is a small molecule that can trigger an immune response only when linked to a larger carrier protein. Haptens are widely used in immunoassay development, research, and diagnostics to create specific antibodies for detecting small molecules such as toxins, chemicals, or hormones.
Immunoassay
An immunoassay is a laboratory technique that utilizes antigen-antibody interactions to detect, measure, or quantify analytes. Immunoassays, including ELISA and tube-based assays, are essential tools for food safety, environmental monitoring, clinical diagnostics, and research applications due to their high sensitivity, specificity, and reproducibility.
Immunological Reagents
Immunological reagents include antibodies, antigens, enzyme conjugates, and other biochemical components used in immunoassays. These reagents are critical for assay accuracy, enabling the detection and quantification of specific analytes in food safety, environmental testing, clinical diagnostics, and laboratory research.
Marine Toxin
Marine toxins are naturally occurring toxic compounds produced by algae, shellfish, or other marine organisms. Testing for marine toxins is essential in seafood safety, public health, and environmental monitoring to prevent poisoning and ensure compliance with regulatory standards.
Microtiter Plate
A microtiter plate is a flat laboratory plate with multiple wells, commonly 96, used as a platform for high-throughput assays such as ELISA. Microtiter plates allow simultaneous testing of multiple samples, enhancing efficiency, reproducibility, and accuracy in laboratory research, diagnostics, and food safety testing.
Mycotoxin
Mycotoxins are toxic secondary metabolites produced by fungi that can contaminate crops, food, and feed. Mycotoxin detection is critical for food safety, agricultural monitoring, and regulatory compliance, preventing harmful exposure to humans and animals.
Polyclonal Antibody Production
Polyclonal antibody production involves generating a mixture of antibodies that recognize multiple epitopes on a single antigen. This process is widely used in immunoassays, research, diagnostics, and assay development for robust, sensitive detection of target analytes.
Positive/Negative Controls
Positive and negative controls are reference samples included in laboratory assays to validate assay performance and reliability. Positive controls ensure the assay detects the analyte correctly, while negative controls confirm specificity and prevent false-positive results, supporting accurate testing and regulatory compliance.
Plant Growth Hormone
Plant growth hormones are naturally occurring or synthetic chemicals that regulate plant development, including germination, flowering, and fruiting. Monitoring plant hormones is essential in agriculture, horticulture, and research to optimize crop yields, study plant physiology, and ensure food safety.
Purification
Purification is the process of isolating a specific protein, antibody, or analyte from a complex mixture to increase concentration and remove impurities. Purified biomolecules are essential for accurate laboratory assays, ELISA kits, immunoassays, research applications, and pharmaceutical production.
Recombinant Proteins
Recombinant proteins are proteins produced through genetic engineering in host cells such as bacteria, yeast, or mammalian systems. They are widely used as assay standards, research reagents, and therapeutic agents, providing consistent quality and reproducibility for laboratory testing, diagnostics, and biotechnology applications.
SDS (Safety Data Sheet)
A Safety Data Sheet (SDS) provides detailed information on the properties, hazards, safe handling, storage, and disposal of chemicals used in laboratory and industrial settings. SDS documentation ensures compliance with safety regulations and protects laboratory personnel and the environment.
Solid Phase Coating
Solid phase coating is the process of immobilizing proteins, antigens, or antibodies onto a solid surface, such as a microtiter plate, for use in immunoassays. This technique is essential for capturing and detecting analytes with high sensitivity, reproducibility, and efficiency in ELISA and other assays.
Standard Curve
A standard curve is a plot of known analyte concentrations versus assay response, used to determine the concentration of unknown samples. Standard curves are fundamental in quantitative ELISA and immunoassays, ensuring accurate, reliable, and reproducible measurement of target analytes.
Tube Assay Kit
A tube assay kit is a laboratory assay format that uses individual tubes instead of plates for testing analytes. Tube assay kits provide flexibility, scalability, and convenience for laboratory workflows, including small-scale testing, research applications, and quality control in diagnostics and food safety.