Determination of sulfate in algal polysaccharide samples: a step-by-step protocol using microplate reader

Abstract

Algal polysaccharides exhibit a wide range of biological activities and potential applications. Many of these bioactivities correlate positively with the presence of sulfate groups on the polysaccharides. The most common method used for sulfate quantification in algal samples is the turbidimetric method using the barium chloride-gelatin reagent. However, the original procedure is difficult to adapt for routine analysis since it is laborious and time-consuming. An optimized method was established using 96-well microplates, with the advantage of reducing waste and discrimination between organic and inorganic sulfates. This proposed method produced the same accuracy as the original.