What is an Analyte?
An analyte is a substance or a component, or chemical species or constituent that is of interest in analytical procedures and other research applications. Examples include compounds such as glucose, lactic acid, ammonia, glutamine, glycelrol, alcohol, cholesterol etc., covering biotechnology, bioprocessing and biochemical marker detection and discovery applications.
Importance of Analyte Quantitation
Analytes find applications in various research and analytical procedures. They can be used in quantitative proteomics as internal standards/calibrators or as markers identified from biological samples. Typically in biological samples, target analytes are present in low concentrations with a mix of interfering compounds. It is hence imperative to not only employ effective sample preparation methods but also to specifically detect and sensitively quantify the analyte(s). Some of the well-known analytes periodically used as detection markers in physiological or pathological processes include glutathione, hydrogen peroxide, NADP/NADPH, etc.
