Protein & Amino Acid Testing: Know What's Actually in Your Product
Accurate protein and amino acid data isn't a nice-to-have. It's the backbone of sound formulation, honest labeling, and defensible quality control.
​​​Whether you're verifying a raw ingredient, releasing a finished product, or benchmarking a new protein source, Twin Arbor Labs delivers the precise analytical data you need to make confident decisions.
We work across a wide range of food matrices and ingredients, from plant-based proteins and dairy concentrates to collagen products and functional nutrition formulas.
Total Protein by Dumas Combustion​​
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For routine protein analysis, we use the Dumas combustion method, a rapid, nitrogen-based technique that's widely accepted across the food and supplement industry. It offers strong reproducibility, efficient turnaround, and broad applicability across complex matrices.
Commonly tested sample types include raw ingredients, finished food products, protein powders and concentrates, plant-based and animal-derived ingredients, and dairy and specialty nutrition products.
Dumas results can be used for quality control, specification verification, ingredient comparison, and nutritional label support.​
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Amino Acid Profiling by LC-MS/MS
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When total protein isn't enough, amino acid analysis tells the full story. We quantify both free and protein-bound amino acids using LC-MS/MS (triple quadrupole), giving you high sensitivity, excellent specificity, and reliable quantitation even in difficult matrices.
Essential Amino Acids
Histidine, Isoleucine, Leucine, Lysine, Methionine, Phenylalanine, Threonine, Valine, and Tryptophan (analyzed separately via alkaline digestion).
Non-Essential & Conditionally Essential Amino Acids
Alanine, Arginine, Aspartic Acid, Glutamic Acid, Glycine, Proline, Serine, Tyrosine, and Cysteine (via performic acid hydrolysis).
Specialty & Functional Amino Acids
Beta-Alanine, Ornithine, Citrulline, Glutamine, and Asparagine.
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Free vs. Protein-Bound: We Cover Both​
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Free Amino Acid Analysis measures unbound amino acids, valuable for fermented foods, beverages, protein hydrolysates, flavor profiling, and nutritional supplements. It gives you direct insight into processing effects, formulation integrity, and product quality.
Protein-Bound Amino Acid Analysis requires hydrolysis to release amino acids from the protein matrix. We apply the right technique for each analyte:
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Acid Hydrolysis covers the majority of amino acids, providing a complete compositional profile
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Performic Acid Oxidation is used to stabilize and accurately recover sulfur-containing amino acids (Cysteine as cysteic acid, Methionine as methionine sulfone)
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Alkaline Digestion is used exclusively for Tryptophan, which degrades under acid conditions
No shortcuts. Every analyte gets the method it actually requires.
Hydroxyproline Testing for Collagen Verification​
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If your product contains collagen or gelatin, or you're making label claims about it, hydroxyproline is your key marker. We quantify hydroxyproline by LC-MS/MS, providing the specificity and sensitivity needed to verify collagen content even in complex finished product matrices.
Applications include collagen quantification, raw material qualification, ingredient verification, and label claim substantiation.
Why Amino Acid Testing Goes Beyond the Label
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Total protein is a starting point. Amino acid profiling is the full picture. It tells you whether your protein source actually delivers the essential amino acids your customers are counting on, and gives you the documentation to back it up.
Key applications include nutritional quality evaluation, essential amino acid verification, ingredient consistency checks, supplier qualification, formulation benchmarking, and regulatory documentation.
Food Matrices We Test
Plant proteins · Dairy ingredients · Meat and animal-derived products · Collagen and gelatin · Grains and legumes · Protein powders · Beverages · Functional food ingredients · Processed foods · Nutritional formulations