Name: Comparison of blocking buffers for western blotting.
Creator: AAT Bioquest
License: https://www.aatbio.com/tou.html

Comparison of blocking buffers for western blotting.

Blocking Buffer	Benefits	Considerations
Skim milk	Inexpensive Contains multiple types of proteins	Contains biotin and phosphoproteins, which can interfere with streptavidin-biotin detection strategies and detection of phosphorylated target proteins. Due to the number of proteins within milk, milk may mask some antigens and lower the detection limit of the western blot.
Bovine serum albumin (BSA)	Good alternative to milk Can be used in biotin-streptavidin systems or when probing for phosphoproteins	Various grades of BSA are commercially available that can impact signal-to-noise. BSA is generally a weaker blocker, which can result in more non-specific antibody binding, but can increase the detection sensitivity for low-abundant proteins.
Purified proteins	Single-protein blocking buffers can provide fewer chances of cross-reaction with assay components than serum or milk solutions. Ideal when blockers, such as non-fat milk, block antigen-antibody binding	More expensive than traditional non-fat milk formulations.

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MLA	"Quest Database™ Comparison of blocking buffers for western blotting.." AAT Bioquest, Inc., 30 Oct. 2025, https://www.aatbio.com/data-sets/comparison-of-blocking-buffers-for-western-blotting.
APA	AAT Bioquest, Inc. (2025, October 30). Quest Database™ Comparison of blocking buffers for western blotting.. AAT Bioquest. https://www.aatbio.com/data-sets/comparison-of-blocking-buffers-for-western-blotting.
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