What is the most common method for determining serum albumin levels?

The most common method for determining serum albumin levels is dye binding. This technique involves using specific dyes that bind preferentially to albumin, allowing for the quantification of albumin concentrations in serum. The most widely used dye for this purpose is bromcresol green, which reacts with albumin to produce a color change that can be measured spectrophotometrically. This method is favored because of its simplicity, speed, and cost-effectiveness, making it highly suitable for routine clinical laboratories.

While electrophoresis is an effective method for separating proteins based on their charge and size, it is not typically used for direct measurement of serum albumin levels in a routine setting. Instead, electrophoresis is more often employed for profiling all major serum proteins.

The Biuret method is used for measuring total protein in serum but is not specific for albumin alone. It relies on the formation of a color complex when proteins react with copper ions under alkaline conditions.

Immunoassay, while useful for quantifying specific proteins using antibodies, is generally not the first choice for routine albumin measurement due to higher costs and complexity associated with the assay.

Thus, dye binding remains the preferred and most common method for determining serum albumin levels in clinical practice.