Acetoacetate Assay Kit (Colorimetric) is used for measuring acetoacetate using colorimetric methods.Acetoacetate (AcAc), a β-ketoacid, is one of the three ketone bodies and is formed via condensation of two molecules of acetyl-CoA in liver mitochondria. AcAc can be enzymatically reduced to 3-β-hydroxybutyrate (β-HB), or decarboxylated producing acetone (CH3)2CO). Ketone bodies (βHB: 78%; AcAc: 20% & CH3)2CO: 2%) are mainly used as an alternative energy source when glucose cannot be delivered to the system. Excessive concentration of ketone bodies (ketoacidosis) is observed in patients with Type I diabetes, severe starvation or alcoholism. Traditionally, AcAc levels have been qualitatively detected using dipsticks that use sodium nitroferricyanide as a chromophore. Acetoacetate Assay Kit (Colorimetric) has adapted that principle with a modification that provides a sensitive method to quantitate endogenous levels of AcAc in human blood, and urine. In this non-enzymatic assay, AcAc reacts with a substrate to generate a colored product that can be measured at 550 nm. The reaction is specific for AcAc and does not detect 3-β-hydroxybutyrate. The assay kit can detect samples containing acetoacetate as low as 25 µM.