ABSTRACT
The amino acids can be divided into protein amino acids and nonprotein amino acids. These two groups need to be considered separately in relation to analysis of amino acids in foods, body fluids, and tissues as they both are important in nutrition, in quality control of food and feed, and in many research applications. The nomenclature of amino acids is based on trivial names and systematic conventions according to IUPAC-IUB recommendations. Proteins and protein amino acids are present in all living cells and biological materials. High voltage electrophoresis of amino acids is a simple and efficient technique which separates charged molecules/ions in an electric field. An amino acid analyzer can be used to determine ninhydrin-positive compounds. A variety of High Performance Liquid Chromatography techniques is available for both separation and detection of amino acids. For nonprotein amino acids, isolation, purification, and group separation are fundamental as is detection.
