Immobilized carbohydrates and glycoproteins have been used successfully for the selective adsorption of proteins (e.g. lectins) which have an affinity for the carbohydrate or glycoprotein that has been covalently linked to support a matrix. Purification may be carried out by applying a sample to the gel, washing through any unbound material, and eluting with a specific carbohydrate solution. The eluting carbohydrate can be removed either by dialysis or gel filtration. The gel is washed adequately to re-use the column many times. The amount of material that can be isolated in each experimental run will vary greatly and is dependent upon the molecular weight of the protein being isolated, the affinity of the protein for the gel linked carbohydrate, column flow rates and temperature.