Abstract:

Microscale biochemistry is an environmentally safe pollution prevention method of performing biochemical processes using small quantities of chemicals without compromising the quality and standard of biochemical applications in education and industry. Microscale biochemistry is performed by using drastically reduced amounts of chemicals and safe and easy manipulative techniques. Microscale biochemistry offers many benefits, It reduces chemical use promoting waste reduction at the source and it offers vastly improved laboratory safety by better laboratory air quality and least exposure to toxic chemicals. Moreover microscale techniques require shorter experiment time, implement excellent laboratory manipulative techniques and improve laboratory skills.
In order to implement new laboratory sessions with microscale techniques we adapted the existing macroscale protocols for lipid and protein quantification. Our results were similar in sensibility and accuracy as those compared with macroscale techniques.
We demonstrated that the work in microescala is possible in our teaching laboratories, obtaining substantial savings in materials and reagents. This microscale technique has the additional advantage of being faster to implement and thus motivating the students to propose new laboratory sessions that provide them with up to date technologies useful for their future work as professional pharmaceutics.


Support by the PAPIIT, National University of Mexico, grant numbers IN222108 and IN220108

Keywords:

microscale, biochemistry education, laboratory sessions.