Date of Completion

2025

Document Type

Thesis

Degree Name

Bachelor of Science in Medical Laboratory Science

Keywords

powdered activated charcoal; chromatic interference; urine reagent strip; urinalysis; spectrophotometry

Abstract

This study evaluated the efficacy of powdered activated charcoal (PAC) as a pretreatment to reduce chromatic interference in manual 10-parameter urine reagent-strip testing of highly pigmented specimens. Thirty samples were aliquoted into six treatment groups: untreated uncentrifuged (UU), untreated centrifuged baseline (UC), and four PAC treatments—T1 (2.5 mg, 25 °C), T2 (2.5 mg, 35 °C), T3 (5.0 mg, 25 °C), and T4 (5.0 mg, 35 °C). PAC-treated aliquots were agitated for 60 minutes, centrifuged (4,000 rpm, 10 min), and filtered (Whatman No. 42) prior to analysis. Color intensity was quantified by UV–Vis spectrophotometry (570–620 nm) and reagent- strip readings (IngBio 10-parameter) were performed in triplicate. One-way ANOVA indicated no significant effect of PAC mass or temperature on absorbance (F = 2.232, p = 0.068). However, categorical analysis of reagent-strip results revealed statistically significant differences among groups for pH (p = 0.013) and leukocyte esterase (p = 0.021), while the remaining parameters exhibited no consistent alteration. Although certain PAC conditions (notably T1 and T4) approximated the centrifuged baseline for several analytes, overall findings indicate that the PAC treatments tested did not reliably reduce chromatic interference and may alter specific reagent-strip reactions. Further studies and optimization of PAC mass, incubation, and post-treatment processing is recommended before routine implementation.

First Advisor

Aurian S. Tormes, RMT

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