Western blotting is a technique used to detect specific proteins in a sample containing a mixture of proteins. It involves separating proteins by electrophoresis, transferring them to a membrane, and using antibodies to identify a specific protein target through immunodetection. Key steps include extracting proteins, separating by SDS-PAGE gel electrophoresis, transferring to a membrane, blocking the membrane, incubating with primary and secondary antibodies, and detecting the target protein band using an enzyme substrate reaction. It is a widely used analytical technique in cell and molecular biology research.