Amino Acid And Peptide Testing of Raw Materials and Biopharmaceuticals
Ensuring the quality of peptide-based biopharmaceuticals and associated raw materials is critical to the success of any research and development program.
Peptide testing helps confirm identity, purity and consistency and is crucial if working with synthetic research peptides, recombinant proteins or complex biological materials. Obtaining reliable data supports better decision-making, improves reproducibility, and minimises risks in downstream development.
Our UK–based laboratory offers a complete range of analytical services tailored specifically for amino acid and peptide testing. Using our expertise, we help you confidently characterise your research products and determine their purity, providing amino acid analysis, protein sequencing, mass spectrometry and HPLC services.
To speak to our technical team or to request a quote, please contact info@altabioscience.com.
Our Peptide Testing Services for Raw Materials and Biopharmaceuticals
Our laboratory uses well established techniques optimised for the specific testing of amino acids, peptides and protein-derived substances. We offer the following peptide testing services:
Peptide Purity Determination by HPLC
Peptides are dissolved in a mobile phase and separated using a reversed phase HPLC column containing a stationary phase. Components in the peptide sample will have distinct retention times based on their hydrophobicity. The detector analyses retention time and signal intensity for each component.
Purity is calculated from the chromatogram as the area of the main peak divided by total detected peak areas. A high-purity peptide will show a single dominant peak, while additional peaks may indicate synthesis byproducts or contaminants. This method is a high sensitivity and high-resolution method and is the standard method for reporting purity.
Sample Requirements:
- 1-2mg, ideally lyophilised
- If in solution, please provide dissolved in water
What you will receive:
- Chromatograms with report indicating % purity based on analytical findings.
Peptide Identity Confirmation and Impurity Detection by Mass Spectrometry
Matrix-Assisted Laser Desorption/Ionization Time-of-Flight (MALDI-TOF) is a powerful mass spectrometry technique used to confirm the molecular weight of peptides and identify mass-shifted impurities such as truncations, deletions or chemical modifications that may occur during peptide synthesis.
These impurities can co-elute with the target product during purification and are often difficult to detect by chromatographic methods alone. MALDI-TOF is particularly well-suited for the analysis of small to medium-sized peptides and complex peptide mixtures. It offers high sensitivity and is relatively tolerant to contaminants such as salts and buffer components, making it ideal for rapid, accurate mass profiling of peptide samples.
Sample Requirements:
- 0.5 mg
What you will receive:
- Mass spectra of the sample covering range to include target mass.
Net Peptide Content Determination by Amino Acid Analysis (AAA)
Our ISO/IEC 17025:2017 accredited AAA method determines the amino acid composition and quantity after hydrolysis. It is useful for quality control to verify the correct quantity and type of amino acids but will not provide a percentage peptide purity calculation as other methods.
Sample Requirements:
- A minimum of 5 mg of material
- Information on the sequence, molecular weight, and salt form.
What you will receive:
- Single page report indicating quantification of individual amino acids, net peptide content as a percentage, and calculations for theoretical vs. actual number of residues of each amino acid.
- Chromatograms (on request)
Determining Protein Identity with N-Terminal Sequencing by Edman degradation.
For comprehensive structural verification, we offer N-terminal peptide sequencing services accredited to ISO/IEC17025:2017. This technique determines the precise order of amino acids starting from the N-terminus of the peptide or protein. It is suitable for confirming sequence identity, especially in synthetic peptides or recombinant proteins. N-terminal sequencing can detect errors such as incorrect amino acid residues, truncations, or sequence shifts. This analysis is essential for providing critical assurance of product fidelity and manufacturing accuracy.
Sample Requirements:
- At least 10 pmols of protein either:
- in solution
- as a solid
- on gel stained with Coomassie Blue, Ponceau Red or Amido black
- on PVDF membrane.
Note: We cannot accept silver or gold-stained gel slices
What you will receive:
- Report indicating cycle-by-cycle readout, typically covering 5–10 residues
- Any ambiguities, modifications or signal loss will be noted
- Chromatograms (on request).
The Importance of Testing Raw Materials and Biopharmaceuticals in Drug Discovery.
Peptides and proteins are inherently sensitive and complex. Minor changes in structure or composition can significantly affect biological activity, stability and efficacy. Impurities arising during chemical synthesis or cell culture production, degradation products or incorrect sequences can derail an entire project or lead to inconsistent results. Therefore, independent and rigorous analytical peptide testing including purity testing is a crucial step in quality assurance, especially when working with external suppliers or custom-synthesised materials. It ensures that your research materials meet the required specifications and provides assurance that you are working with well-characterised, high-quality compounds from the start.
Research Use Only Disclaimer
Please note, the results generated by AltaBioscience are intended for research use only and do not provide any guarantees of product safety for human or veterinary use. Any report produced by AltaBioscience is not to be modified or used for commercial purposes, please refer to our T&Cs.
For more information about our services, or for a quotation, please contact info@altabioscience.com.
