However, these procedures are technically somewhat more difficult than the other techniques, so that filter paper, cellulose acetate, and agarose gel remain the routine clinical laboratory methods of choice. It has been found that by using potato starch in a gel-like state, the separation of some of these fractions can be sharpened, especially the separation of some of the abnormal hemoglobins. The main problem with this method is the difficulty in separating some of the serum components. A special instrument (densitometer) translates the quantity of protein or density of these bands into a linear pattern, which is a rough visual approximation of the amount of substance present. Serum protein electrophoresis ordinarily displays bands corresponding to albumin, alpha-1 and alpha-2 globulins, beta globulins, and gamma globulins. However, all are capable of identifying the areas where major serum protein shifts take place, which sometimes have as much diagnostic importance as the shifts themselves. Each method has advantages and disadvantages in terms of laboratory ease of performance, cost, or sensitivity to certain protein fractions. Some of the standard materials include filter paper, cellulose acetate film, agarose gel, and polyacrylamide gel. Various electrophoretic methods produce some differences within the same basic framework of results due to differences in technical factors and the type of electrophoretic migrating field material used. Before electrophoresis was readily available, the albumin/globulin ratio was widely used this was determined with a chemical method and should no longer be ordered, since electrophoresis not only provides the same information but also pinpoints areas where globulin abnormalities may be found. Electrophoresis is still the most commonly used screening test for serum protein abnormalities except for measurement of albumin only.

High alpha 1 protein electrophoresis