Catalase, is a ubiquitous antioxidant enzyme that catalyzes the decomposition of hydrogen peroxide (H₂O₂ ) to water and oxygen.

2H₂O₂ → 2H₂O + O₂

By preventing excessive H₂O₂ build up, catalase allows important cellular processes which produce H₂O₂ as a byproduct to occur safely. Deficiency in catalase activity has been associated with grey hair and peroxisomal disorder acatalasia. Simple, direct and high-throughput assays for catalase activity find wide applications. Amplicon Biotech improved assay directly measures catalase degradation of H₂O₂ using a redox dye. The change in color intensity at 570nm or fluorescence intensity (λem/ex = 585/530nm) is directly proportional to the catalase activity in the sample.