Amino Acid Analysis using Hydrochloric Acid Hydrolysis and Ion Exchange Chromatography

Approximately 200 mg of freeze-dried material were dissolved in hydrochloric acid solution and treated at 110 °C for 22 hours in a nitrogen-filled environment. The filtrate was evaporated, followed by addition of sodium citrate (pH=2.2) and filtration through a 0.22 µm filter membrane. The proteins were broken down into free amino acids using hydrochloric acid, which were then separated and analyzed using an ion exchange column and ninhydrin solution. A visible spectrophotometric detector was used to determine the amino acid content.