We have a longstanding history of protecting consumers, dating back to 1842 when we were tasked with regulating tobacco adulteration as 'referee analyst' through legislation designed to protect the consumer. Since then, we have used this expertise to protect brands and consumers in a range of complex applications. Our laboratory in Cambridgeshire is now one of the world’s leading sports doping control and research supplement testing lab, with more than 60 years of experience of anti-doping and supplement analysis.
We've used our scientific expertise to develop a protein supplement testing and certification program specifically for protein-based supplements, given the well-publicised concerns in the sector. Using a combination of both test procedures and manufacturer assessment, Informed Protein provides athletes and consumers alike with the assurance that product label claims have been verified independently - thereby providing confidence that the amount of protein within a product matches what's listed on the label.
How is Informed Protein different from standard protein content testing?
The industry standards for protein testing and verification in a nutritional product have been the Dumas or Kjeldahl methods, which determine total nitrogen content, but not necessarily protein content. This means that any nitrogen-containing compound could be used to increase the total nitrogen content of a supplement without adding any actual protein.
Currently, ingredient verification of a marketed food product is required by the Food and Drug Administration when it is newly introduced to the public and then once yearly as it continues being sold - one aspect of which is an assessment of protein content. Companies can assess protein content through various approaches - for example by in-house protein determination or testing of raw materials/review of raw materials certificates followed by calculation of the protein content in the final formulation.
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As this does not offer any independent reassurance, many companies choose to verify the protein content of their products externally. Some brands use a third party to determine and/or verify the protein content in their products post-production, often simply via determining total nitrogen content by the Dumas process. However, a limitation of the Dumas method is its analytical selectivity; the procedure determining total nitrogen, which also includes non-protein nitrogen. This limitation leaves the protein testing method open to potential exploitation, with the ability for unscrupulous manufacturers to use undeclared ingredients (compounds rich in non-protein nitrogen e.g., free amino acids) to boost analytically derived protein levels. In some worst-case scenarios, adulterants such as melamine have been detected in food products, with devastating effects.
Informed Protein employs a significantly more robust approach to lab-tested protein to evaluate the protein content in products by not only verifying the amount of total protein by assessment of the nitrogen content but also by screening for non-protein nitrogen constituents which could result in misleading protein claims. In order to achieve this, we monitor the C/N (Carbon/Nitrogen) ratio to provide reassurance of product consistency, and importantly, we screen for the presence or addition of known adulterants (e.g. melamine) and also free amino acids (i.e. not a constituent of a protein or a peptide) which could be used to falsely elevate results and which have been identified as a problem in the wider industry.
We work closely with a number of key stakeholders within the international protein community and supplement industry, to ensure that Informed Protein is at the forefront of protein supplement testing and protein certification.
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