Hydroxyproline Analysis
Hydroxyproline is a secondary non-essential amino acid that is prevalent in connective tissue proteins such as collagen and elastin.
Why is Hydroxyproline analysis and quantification important for our customers?
Knowing the hydroxyproline content of their products is important to our customers for many reasons. Since hydroxyproline is primarily derived from collagen, it is not typically found in significant amounts in plant-based sources. Therefore, some of our customers use the absence of hydroxyproline as an indicator that a food is vegan, especially in instances when foods have been produced on production lines that have previously handled products containing non-vegan ingredients with high levels of hydroxyproline, such as gelatine. Our method of post-column detection quantifies hydroxyproline content without interference from the sample matrix, allowing us to accurately quantify very low levels of hydroxyproline, making it ideal for testing of this nature.
Hydroxyproline can also be a valuable addition to feed products. For example, several studies in different fish species have shown that dietary supplementation with hydroxyproline can enhance growth performance, collagen production and muscle quality, so producing feed products containing hydroxyproline can have significant commercial benefits for our customers.
Collagen-based products are also widely used as scaffolds in plastic and reconstructive surgery, membranes and plugs in dental surgery, dressings for wound care, and hydrogels and bone fillers for orthopaedic applications, so rigorous quality control using techniques like amino acid analysis is essential. In addition, due to religious constraints and concerns regarding the transmission of BSE via bovine-derived products, collagen from alternative marine sources, such as fish skin and bones, jellyfish and starfish, is gaining popularity, and it is, therefore, important to ensure that these alternative collagen sources contain high levels of hydroxyproline, to ensure they have the same benefits as bovine-derived products.
Why is a separate Hydroxyproline analysis required?
At Alta Bioscience, we use a high-resolution analytical program with photometric detection at 440nm to ensure accurate quantification of hydroxyproline without interference from other amino acids, which can potentially co-elute.
For further information on hydroxyproline analysis or other amino acid analysis, please contact us: E: info@altabioscience.com T: +44 (0)1527 584495.
Article written by Sarah Hawker, Head of amino acid analysis.
