The pitfalls of protein quantification in wastewater treatment studies

Abstract

Proteins, as one of the principal components of organic matter in wastewater, require adequate quantification to determine their concentration in the different stages of wastewater treatment process. Recent studies have used the corrected Lowry Method for protein quantification arguing that this method can differentiate proteins from interfering humic substances. In this study, the classic Lowry Method, the corrected Lowry Method and a commercial assay kit were assessed for the protein quantification in the presence of humic acid.