Background estimation in one‐dimensional electropherograms of whole‐cell protein extracts

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Abstract
In electropherograms of whole‐cell protein extracts a background absorbance due to many partially overlapping bands is usually observed. Since this background is in general not relevant for the identification of a given pattern, its removal will increase the discrimination between patterns, especially when the distance between patterns is measured on a correlation basis. Here we present an algorithm for the estimation of background envelope. The algorithm selects a set of concave kernels of the total profile and subsequently performs a Fourier smoothing of the trace linking these kernels. A fraction of this smoothed trace is then the background estimate. The method is illustrated for the analysis of total protein extracts of bacterial strains.