What is protein desalting?

Protein desalting refers to the process of removing salts, which may originate from buffers or biological samples, from a protein solution. This step is crucial for analysis, as salts can interfere with analytical techniques. 

Protein desalting is a particularly important step before using separation techniques such as mass spectrometry, high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC), or electrophoresis, all of which require protein solutions without salts. The presence of salts and low molecular weight compounds can boost ionic strength and reduce the resolution of electrophoresis, producing false peaks in chromatograms. In diagnostic applications, such as detecting specific disease states through protein levels in blood, serum, or urine, desalting and concentrating proteins are vital. This ensures that proteins present in minute quantities are detectable during diagnosis and analysis.