A new, rapid, high-sensitivity analysis of amino acids in food type samples

A new approach to the analysis of free amino acids and amino acids from hydrolyzed foods is described. The method is based on reaction of the free amino acids with phenylisothiocyanate to form stable derivatives which are subsequently separated by liquid chromatography. Sample preparation procedures are described and results are compared with conventional ion exchange results. Reproducibility of the new method has been determined on a typical food type sample.