(biological assay) A quantitative assessment of the effect of a substance on a living organism by comparison with the effects of a similar substance of known concentration. For example, certain fungi are used to find the concentration of a particular vitamin, such as thiamin, in a substance as the growth of the fungus is directly proportional to the concentration of the vitamin. Bioassays have been used extensively to measure the effects of different auxins and gibberellins on plant growth (see Avena curvature test). |
