TOKU-E Announces Safer and Faster Dissolving, Dust-Free Grade Sodium Dodecyl Sulfate (SDS) for Electrophoresis and Manufacturing Applications

ROTTERDAM, Netherlands, May 29, 2012 /PRNewswire/ --

TOKU-E Company (http://www.toku-e.com) has announced availability of their newly developed, innovative, ultra-safe, faster dissolving dust-free grade (DF) Sodium Dodecyl Sulfate (SDS).

In animal studies, prolonged exposure to SDS dust particles is known to cause eye and skin irritation. SDS may worsen skin problems in individuals with chronic skin hypersensitivity, with some people being affected more than others. Inhalation of SDS dust can cause acute symptoms like wheezing, coughing, chest tightness and shortness of breath, especially when the person has asthma. Not only does TOKU-E's dust-free SDS alleviate this problem, it also dissolves more quickly in water.

Increased safety and reliability, all stem from the physical properties of TOKU-E's dust-free SDS. While the density of typically manufactured SDS ranges from 0.6-0.7 g/cm^[3], TOKU-E has been able to pack the powder to a density of 0.9 g/cm^[3], ensuring that the number free-floating particulates is minimized. Additionally, when preparing a stock solution, running an SDS-PAGE or preparing a Tris-glycine SDS-Buffer, dust-free grade saves time by speeding up dissolving times. Internal testing shows that by using tightly packed dust-free grade SDS, dissolving times can be reduced by up to 50%.

Company R&D Director Amy Lee says, "About 5 years ago, TOKU-E received a batch of poor quality SDS from one of our suppliers which did not meet our specifications. Our R&D team was assigned to purify it and keep it for our internal R&D usage. The dust particles of SDS were really annoying and one of our scientists, having asthma, was forced to stay away from the project. In order to reduce dust particles, we decided to try out the pellet form of the product. After three years of research, we found that the water quality, control of bacterial contaminations (sources of DNase RNase and Protease) and a few other parameters are the key to make high quality SDS. Two years ago, we decided to scale up this product and offer it to our customers worldwide. After extensive testing by our R&D team in preparations of Tris-glycine SDS-Buffers, we are assured that dust-free SDS not only provides increased safety in the laboratory, but actually leads to more consistent electrophoresis results. We are really excited that we were able innovate and enhance the safety of this widely used product."

After production of dust-free SDS, each batch is stringently tested to ensure it meets our physical specifications with regard to purity, density, solubility, and appearance, and then packed for shipment to end-users. For specific technical data and southern/western blot data, please visit: http://www.toku-e.com/product/Sodium_Dodecyl_Sulfate_(SDS)/.

About TOKU-E

TOKU-E specializes in the manufacturing of ultra-pure antimicrobials and fine chemicals for use in life science research. The broad range of antimicrobials produced are primarily designed for gene selection, cell culture, microbiology, anti-mycoplasma and diagnostic applications. In order to better serve their European customers, TOKU-E Company established last year a European establishment in Rotterdam, the Netherlands.