Comparing apples to apples is hard to do when looking at protein

Aug 02,2016

Central Testing Laboratory Ltd has been testing protein levels in food and feed since 1924.  Protein testing has its challenges, and there are many factors to consider.  One factor that has come up is the factor!  When testing protein, we actually test the nitrogen level in the sample.  If a feed sample has 2% Nitrogen, we multiply that number by 6.25 to give us the crude protein amount of 12.5%.  If we are talking wheat going for milling, like most of the wheat grown in Canada, we have to use the milling protein factor of 5.7 to equal the result you get at the local elevator.  Our most popular method for protein is by combustion. We can also test by the older Kjeldahl Method.  We have also expanded our NIR library to test for Forages and some grains.  If you want to dig deeper into the amino acids, we have partner labs that can analyse the profile by HPLC.