Automating the quantification of heme in feces

Abstract

We present a modification of the HemoQuant assay, a good but lengthy and tedious method for determining heme in feces by means of its transformation to porphyrins. The laborious extraction procedure was replaced by a simple centrifugation procedure. The nonhomogeneous hot oxalic acid suspension was replaced by acetic acid. We observed no significant difference in results between samples analyzed but the older method vs the present modification (r = 0.996, n = 52). Mean (and SD) analytical recoveries of added hemoglobin and protoporphyrin were 99% (7%) and 93% (6%), respectively. The analytical procedure can now be automated by using discrete samples and a flow-through fluorometer. Initial sampling and dilution of feces are still done manually, however. The excellent specificity, sensitivity, and overall analytical performance of the original method are retained, while circumventing the practical inconveniences of this reliable screening test for occult blood in feces.