Thermo Fisher Scientific has introduced an application note that demonstrates the capabilities of the Flash 4000 nitrogen/protein analyser in providing nitrogen/protein determination in animal feed.
The application note is entitled 'Nitrogen/protein determination in animal feed by the Thermo Scientific Flash 4000 series' and is available to download at the company's website.
Protein is one of the most important nutrients in animal feed, providing animals with the necessary building blocks to produce their own proteins in order to grow, maintain or produce muscles, enzymes, hormones, milk, wool, and so on.
However, the quantity of protein required by animals is precise as excess amounts can lead to amino acid deficiency and generate unnecessary amounts of energy.
As a result, the precise determination of protein content in finished animal feed, through the determination of nitrogen, is fundamental to achieving high nutritional quality of these products.
The Dumas Combustion method, approved by the Association of Official Analytical Chemists (AOAC), monitors nitrogen concentration in animal feed in a much quicker, safer and more reliable way than the conventional Kjeldahl method.
The Flash 4000, which is based on the Dumas combustion method, provides advantages over the Kjeldahl method, according to Thermo Fisher Scientific.
It requires no sample digestion or toxic chemicals, offering a safer, more economical and less environmentally damaging solution for protein determination.
The novel analyser effectively tests for levels of nitrogen in a range from low to high content without matrix effect and with reduced sample preparation.
The analyser achieves a relative standard deviation of less than two per cent according to the official Dumas Combustion method, indicating that fine homogenisation is not necessary.
In addition, no memory effect is observed when changing the type of sample, ensuring complete detection of the nitrogen present in the sample.
The applicability of the Flash 4000 extends even further, providing an automated, precise and reliable method to monitor levels of nitrogen/protein in any type of food and beverage using large sample amounts of more than 2g.
These capabilities make the analyser suitable for quality control and research-and-development environments in the food industry, improving autonomy and reducing downtime, maintenance and cost per analysis.
