Pharma | Amino Acids - Optically Active Zwitterions

More than 50 years ago amino acids were found to be an important component in metabolism. That’s why they play a major role in the pharmaceutical and food industry. In recent times, the biopharmaceutical industry is strongly growing and amino acids are a key ingredient for e.g. recombinant proteins. The polarimetric analysis of amino acids at defined acidic or basic solutions is prescribed in international pharmacopoeias and other regulations, because their optical / specific rotation is strongly pH-dependent.

Amino acid quality can be tested by using MCP polarimeters from Anton Paar, which come in two different dimensions: with their small size, MCP 100/150 polarimeters are the solution for limited space on the lab bench. Whereas Anton Paar’s high-end MCP 5100/5300/5500 polarimeters are renowned for their modular concept, which enables flexible adaption to upcoming measuring tasks. Options such as multiple wavelengths or FillingCheck camera can be upgraded later on site. Automatic sample cell- and quartz control plate identification (Toolmaster) is a standard feature of all Anton Paar polarimeters.