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What Every Food Scientist Should Know About Nutritional Analysis Tools

May 15, 2025

Nutritional analysis is a foundational element in food science. Whether you're formulating a new product, verifying nutritional labels, or ensuring compliance with food safety regulations, precise quantification of nutrients is essential. A wide variety of analytical tools are available to help food scientists measure the chemical composition of food accurately and efficiently. Understanding how these tools work, when to use them, and how to interpret the data they provide is key to maintaining product quality and meeting regulatory standards.

Why Nutritional Analysis Matters

Nutritional analysis supports critical decisions in product development, quality assurance, labeling, and regulatory compliance. Nutrient content can vary based on raw materials, processing methods, and storage conditions. Consistent, accurate analysis helps manufacturers maintain brand integrity and meet national and international standards such as those from the FDA, CFIA, and EU regulatory bodies.

Modern instrumentation has significantly improved the speed and accuracy of nutrient measurement, offering food scientists greater flexibility in testing strategies and quality control.

Key Macronutrient Testing Tools

  • Protein Analysis: The most common methods for determining protein content are the Kjeldahl and Dumas (combustion) methods. Both measure nitrogen content, which is then converted to protein using a standardized factor. ATS-Scientific supplies both Kjeldahl digestion/distillation systems and CHNS analyzers that support Dumas combustion, offering reliable, high-throughput solutions suitable for food matrices.
  • Fat Extraction: Traditional Soxhlet extraction remains a gold standard, but modern accelerated solvent extraction systems provide faster, more automated workflows. ATS offers solvent extraction systems that comply with AOAC and ISO methods, enabling total fat quantification across a wide range of sample types.
  • Carbohydrates and Fiber: Total carbohydrates are often calculated by difference, but specific sugars can be measured using HPLC or enzymatic assays. For dietary fiber, gravimetric methods like those outlined by AOAC require precise digestion and filtration steps. ATS-Scientific supports this with fiber analyzers and digestion units suitable for crude and total dietary fiber determination.
  • Moisture and Ash: Gravimetric moisture analyzers and muffle furnaces for ash content are essential tools for proximate analysis. ATS offers a range of moisture balances and combustion systems ideal for routine use in food labs.

Micronutrient and Elemental Analysis

  • Vitamin Analysis: While many vitamins require chromatography (HPLC or LC-MS) for accurate measurement, some—like vitamin C—can be quantified using titration or UV-Vis spectroscopy. ATS-Scientific provides colorimetric and UV-Vis spectrophotometric analyzers well-suited to routine vitamin assays.
  • Minerals and Trace Elements: Techniques such as atomic absorption spectroscopy (AAS), inductively coupled plasma (ICP-OES/MS), and ion chromatography are used to quantify essential minerals and detect contaminants. ATS offers systems capable of these analyses and supports users in meeting strict regulatory requirements for mineral content in food.
  • CHNS/O Analysis: Elemental analyzers that determine carbon, hydrogen, nitrogen, sulfur, and oxygen are used to provide compositional insight and support caloric value calculations. ATS’s CHNS analyzers are particularly effective for food scientists seeking a comprehensive view of a product’s organic makeup.

Rapid Screening with Spectroscopy

UV-Vis spectroscopy is used extensively for routine nutrient and contaminant detection. For example, colorimetric assays for iron, phosphates, or certain vitamins can be performed quickly and accurately using ATS-Scientific's spectrophotometric solutions.

Compliance, Data Management, and Integration

Effective nutritional analysis also depends on rigorous data management and method compliance. ATS’s instruments support standard methods (AOAC, ISO, EPA) and offer software integration options that ensure traceability, automate calculations, and streamline reporting.

Automated sample loaders, barcode systems, and LIMS integration enhance workflow efficiency in high-throughput environments, making it easier for labs to maintain consistency and meet audit requirements.

Looking for Lab Instruments for Nutritional Analysis?

Nutritional analysis is more than a regulatory checkbox—it’s a critical component of quality assurance and product development. With the right tools and workflows, food scientists can generate reliable, reproducible data to guide decisions and meet consumer expectations.

ATS-Scientific provides a full suite of lab instruments for nutritional analysis—from CHNS analyzers and digestion units to spectroscopy and automated sample prep systems. Backed by expert technical support and compliance-ready software, our solutions help food labs improve accuracy, speed, and operational confidence.

Whether you're just starting to build your lab's capabilities or scaling up for commercial production, understanding and applying the right nutritional analysis tools will set the foundation for success.