Bluestar
Definition
A proprietary reformulation of luminol (brand name: Bluestar Forensic) that uses a modified buffer and reagent concentration to produce chemiluminescent detection of blood with reduced DNA degradation compared to traditional luminol spray preparations.
- Type
- Proprietary reformulated luminol reagent
- Brand
- Bluestar Forensic
- Advantage over classic luminol
- Reduced DNA degradation of treated bloodstains
- Detection principle
- Chemiluminescence triggered by haemoglobin's peroxidase-like activity
Common questions
Why does Bluestar cause less DNA degradation than traditional luminol spray?+
Traditional luminol formulations use a buffer and concentration that can be harsher on biological material over repeated or heavy application. Bluestar's modified buffer chemistry achieves the same chemiluminescent blood detection reaction while being gentler on the DNA present in the stain, preserving more of it for subsequent profiling.
Can Bluestar give a false positive on non-blood substances?+
Yes, like other luminol-based reagents it can react with certain metals, bleach, and some plant peroxidases, producing chemiluminescence unrelated to blood. A positive reaction is therefore treated as presumptive and followed by a confirmatory test before a stain is reported as blood.
Related terms
- Buffer System
- The pH-controlling salt mixture in a spray reagent. The buffer in Bluestar is designed to maintain an alkaline pH for the luminol...
- Chromogenic Pad
- The reactive zone on a Hemastix strip impregnated with a reduced chromogen (tetramethylbenzidine in some formulations) and a peroxide source. Contact with...
- Dipstick Test
- A format in which reagents are embedded in pads on a solid strip. The strip is briefly dipped into or pressed against...
- Haematuria
- The clinical term for blood in urine. Hemastix was developed as a urinalysis tool to detect haematuria and was later adopted by...
- Hemastix
- A commercial peroxidase test strip (Siemens/Bayer) containing a chromogenic pad that turns blue-green on contact with haemoglobin and hydrogen peroxide. Originally designed...