Significance of Optical density
Optical density is a key measurement that quantifies the amount of light absorbed by a sample, often used in various scientific analyses. It plays a crucial role in spectrophotometric studies, helping assess the concentration of substances, including toxins in food and bacterial cells in cultures. Additionally, optical density is employed in cell viability assays and microbial growth evaluations, reflecting the reactivity of samples in relation to light absorption. This versatile measure is fundamental in many fields, including microbiology and biochemistry.
Synonyms: Absorbance, Optical absorption, Extinction coefficient, Attenuation, Extinction
The below excerpts are indicatory and do represent direct quotations or translations. It is your responsibility to fact check each reference.
The concept of Optical density in scientific sources
Optical density measures the extent to which light is absorbed by honey, indicating its color and clarity. This property helps assess the quality and characteristics of honey based on its appearance.
From: The Malaysian Journal of Medical Sciences
(1) A measurement of the absorbance of light by a sample, which is used in ELISA tests to quantify the amount of antibody present.[1] (2) Optical density (OD) is a measurement used in the microtitre plate-based method to quantify biofilm formation and the OD of stained adhering bacteria was determined.[2] (3) The culture was induced with IPTG, and samples were drawn at hourly intervals until this reached 0.6–0.8.[3] (4) Optical density (OD) is a measurement of how much light is absorbed by a sample. In the text, OD was used to quantify the percentage of viable cells based on the intensity of light absorbed at specific wavelengths.[4] (5) A measurement reflecting the number of viable cells in the context of cytotoxicity assays, recorded at 24-hour intervals during the study.[5]