Simple Colorimetry of Dehydrogenase Activity in Oyster using Tetrazolium Chloride

A simple colorimetry procedure for the determination of dehydrogenase activity in oyster was developed. The gill was excised, soaked in triphenyl tetrazolium chloride (TTC) solution (0.2% TTC-0.1% sodium succinate-3% sodium chloride), and incubated at 37°C for 30min. Since TTC is reduced to triphenyl formazan (TF) by dehydrogenase in the gill, red TF formed in the gill was extracted with ethanol, and the absorbance of the extract was measured at 484nm. The changes with time in the amount of TF formed per gram of gill were determined quantitatively.