supernatanti

Supernatanti refers to the liquid portion that remains after a solid component has been separated from a liquid mixture, typically through centrifugation or sedimentation. In laboratory settings, it is commonly encountered when biological samples like blood, urine, or cell cultures are spun at high speeds. The centrifugal force causes denser components, such as blood cells or cell pellets, to settle at the bottom of a tube, leaving the less dense liquid, the supernatant, on top. This supernatant can then be carefully decanted or pipetted off for further analysis or processing.

The composition of the supernatant depends entirely on the original mixture. For instance, blood centrifugation yields plasma or serum as the supernatant, depending on whether clotting factors were removed. In cell culture, the supernatant contains secreted proteins, metabolites, and other molecules released by the cells. Understanding and isolating the supernatant is crucial in various scientific disciplines, including molecular biology, clinical diagnostics, and drug discovery, as it often holds valuable information about the biological processes or the components of the original sample. The term is also used in industrial processes where solid-liquid separation is a key step.