Apparatus and methods are disclosed for digesting a biopolymer in a
medium. The medium is disposed adjacent a wall of a hollow element
wherein at least a portion of the wall is porous. The medium is then
exposed to digestion conditions to cleave the biopolymer into fragments.
The fragments are permitted to permeate through the wall of the hollow
element. In some embodiments a surface of a wall of the hollow element
comprises a digestion agent. In some embodiments the hollow element is
disposed within a hollow liner. For analysis and identification purposes,
the fragments may be separated and/or detected.