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Quantification of starch in plant tissues

Nature Protocols volume 1, pages 1342–1345 (2006)Cite this article

Abstract

This protocol describes a simple means of measuring the starch content of plant tissues by solubilizing the starch, converting it quantitatively to glucose and assaying the glucose. Plant tissue must initially be frozen rapidly to stop metabolism, then extracted to remove free glucose. Starch is solubilized by heating, then digested to glucose by adding glucan hydrolases. Glucose is assayed enzymatically. The method is more sensitive and accurate than iodine-based protocols, and is suitable for tissues that have a wide range of starch contents. Measurements on multiple samples can be completed within a day.

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Acknowledgements

We thank the many members of our laboratories, past and present, who have contributed to troubleshooting and streamlining this protocol. The John Innes Centre is supported by a core strategic grant from the Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council, UK. S.C.Z. is partly supported by an EMBO Young Investigators Award.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Metabolic Biology, John Innes Centre, Norwich, NR4 7UH, United Kingdom

    Alison M Smith

  2. Institute of Plant Sciences, ETH Zurich, Zurich, CH-8092, Switzerland

    Samuel C Zeeman

Authors
  1. Alison M Smith
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  2. Samuel C Zeeman
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Correspondence to Alison M Smith.

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Smith, A., Zeeman, S. Quantification of starch in plant tissues. Nat Protoc 1, 1342–1345 (2006). https://doi.org/10.1038/nprot.2006.232

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