Amino acids are the basic constituents of proteins. Qualitative and quantitative analysis of the amino acid composition of hydrolyzed samples of pure proteins or peptides is used to identify the material and to directly measure its concentration. Amino acids are also intermediates in a myriad of metabolic pathways, often not involving proteins. The amino acids are, therefore, measured as elements of physiological and nutritional studies. This has proven particularly important in monitoring the growth of cells in cultures, as used in the production of biopharmaceuticals. Similar considerations lead to the analysis of foods and feeds to ensure that nutritional requirements. These diverse sample applications will all benefit from improved amino acid methods.

Waters has developed a comprehensive system-based approach to the analysis of amino acids that takes advantage of UPLC separations, application-specific columns for AAA, and standards and kits for AAA. This application notebook describes how Waters technologies can be applied across a variety of methods to perform amino acid analysis of hydrolysates, cell culture, foods and fees, and more.