1. A bioassay of certain compounds, usually antibiotics or vitamins, by evaluating their ability to enhance the growth of some organism and to repress that of others: Using the bioautography stains for enzymes which could not be visualized by any other procedure have been developed
2. Classification of organic material by using solid absorbents that have affinities for specific elements.
3. An analytical technique in which organic compounds are separated by chromatography and identified by studying their effects on microorganisms.