Rapid Assay And Detection Of Carbohydrates In Samples Using Molecular Markers

This Invention employs monoclonal antibodies and direct gelling probes as molecular markers specific for gelling and nongelling parts of plant and bacterial carbohydrates. This invention describes a rapid assay which can detect these carbohydrates and analyze their composition in very small samples. The sample, such as ice cream or hamburger, is blotted onto a membrane, reacted with the molecular marker and then visualized with a marker detection system. Multiple samples can be analyzed rapidly and efficiently using this method. Gelling probes have been tested for several carbohydrates: alginate, pectate, carrageenan and agarose. These probes consist of short gelling subunits conjugated to markers. The direct gelling probes bind to the homologous carbohydrate in the sample on the blot only in the presence of the appropriate gelling ion or after a specific thermal change, depending on the specific carbohydrate system. The direct gelling probes can be identified on the filter paper similar to DNA probes. Javed Afzal jafzal@berkeley.edu 510-643-7201