Colloidal gold protein assay

Hey kiddo, do you like gold? Well, scientists like gold too, but not to play with like toys. They use it to learn more about how our bodies work.

You know how some foods have proteins in them? Well, scientists want to know how much protein is in those foods or how much of a certain protein a person has in their body. They can do this by using a test called a colloidal gold protein assay.

First, they put some tiny pieces of gold into a liquid. The gold becomes really small, like a dust or powder, and floats around in the liquid.

Next, the scientists mix the liquid with the protein they want to test. The protein sticks to the gold, making it clump together like little balls.

Then, the scientists put the liquid with the clumped-up gold and protein mixture onto a special paper. They wait for a few minutes while the paper soaks up the liquid.

They rinse off the paper and dry it. When they look at the paper under a special light, the gold balls will show up as little dots. The more protein that was in the liquid, the more gold balls will stick to the paper.

So, by counting the little gold dots, the scientists can figure out how much protein was in the liquid they tested.

And that’s how a colloidal gold protein assay works!