Should I use tube or microplate luminometers?
A2: A higher sensitivity is generally obtained in tubes due to the higher reaction volume. The most sensitive tube luminometer we have encountered is the FB12 from Berthold Detection Systems. This is at least 10x more sensitive than the Orion II microplate luminometer from the same company. However, sensitivity is not the only issue when selecting a luminometer. Increased sensitivity can also be achieved by using a more sensitive reagent. The BioThema ATP Reagent SL, HS and SS have luciferase activities related as 1:20:470 and the more luciferase the higher the sensitivity provided ATP contamination on pipettes and other disposables and in auxiliary reagents are negligible.
