A Novel High Throughput Analysis of Total Nitrogen Content by a Colorimetric Method

Abstract

Determination of total nitrogen amounts is routinely carried out for the quality control of pharmaceutical products especially proteins and food products. For this purpose a method originally developed by Kjeldahl [1] has been widely used over 100 years, in which ammonia generated during decomposition is titrated. This classical method is not practical for a large number of samples as it requires the use of specially designed fragile and expensive glassware, and fume hoods because of the generation of toxic gases. We have developed a novel system designated the “Nitro-Ace” for the determination of the total nitrogen content of proteins and peptides using a colorimetric method in high-throughput technology. To realize routine analyses a novel reactor for decomposition of multiple samples was designed.