Smartphone based colorimetric approach for quantitative determination of uric acid using Image J

Abstract

Abstract Recently, significant attention has been directed towards digital image colorimetry DIC using mobile applications or available software programs, which offer the advantage of analyzing samples without the need for sophisticated instruments. One such image processing program is Image J, widely used for obtaining quantitative information from scientific images. Image J could measure the color intensities by quantifying of the RGB (red–green–blue) gray levels across the images of colored substances. These values are correlated to the color intensities through conversion to CMY (cyan–magenta–yellow) values which are proportional to the color intensities. The objective of this study is to develop an innovative analytical method for the quantitative determination of uric acid using Image J for color quantification. Image J was utilized to analyze images captured by smart phone for successive concentrations of uric acid that were previously treated with phosphotungstate to develop a blue color. The proposed method has been applied for determination of uric acid in real urine using standard addition method and the results were compared with UV/VIS spectrophotometry as a reference method. In this research, we will also assess the effectiveness of quantitative analysis using Image J in comparison to a mobile application, namely RGB Color Detector.