What are the advantages of Coomassie blue stains?

One advantage is that Coomassie stains offer a fast and straightforward procedure. Protein bands become visible within minutes, with optimal staining achieved in about an hour. Coomassie dyes also do not alter the target proteins and are compatible with various types of protein gels, including SDS-PAGE, native PAGE, 2D gels and isoelectric focusing. Coomassie staining is more affordable than other methods and does not require costly equipment like CCD cameras or fluorescence scanners for imaging. Additionally, while not as sensitive as silver or fluorescent stains, Coomassie stains still provide nanogram-level sensitivity and reliable quantitative results.