Why is it important to test for protein in food?
Food tests are the vital bookend to a long list of processes. They confirm the efficacy of the quality assurance and control procedures that should be in place during food production and may reveal the presence of any other issues not caught by those procedures.
Many tests aim to measure food's nutritional content as well as health hazards. Utilising a food test for protein is vital for many food manufacturers, for a good number of reasons.
Why is food testing important?
Food testing is important because it gets down into the microscopic details of food that testing by hand, eye, and taste cannot establish. Contaminated and spoiled food can often bear dangers that are invisible to the naked eye yet are nonetheless harmful to health if consumed.
Food testing employs the best and most reliable science to get accurate results. These results allow food processors and manufacturers to avoid harmful problems lurking in their products, to avoid embarrassing (and costly) recalls, and to ensure that their products are made with the highest quality they can assure in a competitive marketplace.
But food testing is not only used for the potential problems in food: it is also used to establish the nutritional values of different foods and ensure that they have what they need in appropriate levels.
Why is it important to test for protein in food?
Protein is an essential part of the human diet, whether you eat meat and fish or abide by a vegetarian or vegan diet. Depending on the diet you live by your sources of protein may differ from another person's. Those who eat meat and poultry will find these foods are a big part of their protein intake, whereas those who prefer to consume plant-based foods will turn to sources like fruits, vegetables, and grains to get their protein.
It is important to test for protein in food for several reasons.
It means that food manufacturers can ascertain how much protein their food(s) contains and advertise and label them accordingly.
For plant-based foods, this is especially important as vegetarian and vegan diets regularly rely on meat substitutes to fill in the missing sources of complete protein that are present in omnivorous diets. Individuals such as athletes who choose not to eat meat and fish will be especially reliant on these alternative sources, both for their careers and their health.
It also ensures that foods which are grown to be sources of protein have synthesised the right nutrients and will pass those nutrients on when consumed.
Is the quality of protein in food important?
Not all sources of protein in food are the same. Some foods carry 'complete' proteins, which means they contain all the amino acids needed by the body to create new proteins. Many of these are animal-derived, with meat, fish, dairy, and eggs all being foods that contain complete protein.
Other foods may contain protein, but not all of the nine essential amino acids needed by the body:
Isoleucine
Leucine
Lysine
Histidine
Valine
Methionine
Phenylalanine
Threonine
Tryptophan
These amino acids cannot be made or sourced in any way other than through food sources, so it is important that the body gets these through a combination of foods if they are not coming from complete proteins (as is often the case in plant-based diets).
In this way, the 'quality' of the protein in food is particularly important, as it can impact the body's ability to build muscle, regulate your immune system, and maintain your heart and respiratory system, to name a few functions.
How can you test food for protein?
One food test for protein involves the use of chemicals like sodium/potassium hydroxide and copper sulphate solutions, which will change colour according to the concentration of protein when mixed into a food sample.
However, a faster, simpler, and more accurate method of testing for protein lies in the use of near-infrared (NIR) spectroscopy.
NIR analysis uses light waves to gain insight to the makeup of foods including their protein content. This requires no grinding or special preparation of samples, and its speed makes it a highly repeatable food test for protein.
This is true for foods like cereals and meat, but for liquid dairy products like milk and cream, ultrasonic analysis can be used to test for protein instead.
What tools are available to test food for protein?
The best food tests for protein could not be done by hand. Luckily, accessible equipment makes protein testing fast and easy.
For NIR testing, the Perten DA 7250 NIR Analyser can measure foods in as little as six seconds. It also works as a piece of standalone equipment, not needing to be connected to a computer and making at-line testing even easier. This makes it suitable for on-site testing by farms and factories as well as laboratories.
To add additional checkpoints for protein testing, the Perten DA7350 In-Line analyser can be mounted to mixers or overhanging pipes to provide in-line NIR analysis during production.
To test liquids, the Lactoscan MCC Milk Analyser uses ultrasonic waves to deliver results in around 30 seconds and it can report protein content for small samples of milk, cream, yoghurt, and other liquid food products.
With the importance of food tests for protein firmly established, the question is now whether you need to incorporate protein testing into your processes, or whether your current equipment needs upgrading.
If you need new equipment or simply expert advice on the best next steps for food testing, contact our team at Calibre Control. We have been providing guidance to customers for many years and we only stock and promote products that we are sure we can put our name alongside.
To get the most customer-centric knowledgeable help in food testing, contact us today.