On boiling with reducing sugars 3,5 dinitrosalycylic acid (DNSA) reagent changes from yellow to red.
Small volumes of the reagent and test sample are boiled for 5-10 minutes, then diluted with water and
the absorbance read using the green LED of the colorimeter.
Concentrations of reducing sugar down to below
0.5mM, (90µg of glucose/cm3), can be detected using this test. Small volumes of test solutions can be used, (typically 0.3cm3 for a standard
cuvette).