While plant-based proteins have been part of humanity's diet for centuries, it wasn't until the advent of the original textured vegetable protein (TVP) in the 1960s that it started becoming a viable replacement for animal-based protein sources in more mainstream diets. The first commercially available plant-based proteins would not be mistaken for animal-based protein sources and were largely of interest only to vegans, vegetarians, and pescatarians.
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Pet ownership has increased over the last few years, when an explosive boom during the COVID-19 lockdowns showing no signs of stopping. Over 70% of American households have at least one pet, with most of those homes having at least one cat or dog. As pet ownership continues to rise, so too does the demand for pet food.
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A Small Overview and Comparison
The protein content in food and feeds is one of the parameters that are commonly analysed within most routine control samples in a food laboratory. Generally, the two most used reference methods/technologies are the wet chemistry method after Kjeldahl and the combustion method after Dumas.
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Year after year, the popularity of juice continues to rise. As consumers become more health- and environmentally-conscious, juice has risen to the forefront as a sustainable, vegan, and nutritious beverage option. It certainly doesn't hurt that with the pandemic, people have shifted to entertaining at home and making their own mixed drinks with juices as mixers. But how does juice actually hold up to nutritional demands?
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eFOOD-Lab International – Interview with Express Micro Science
Express Micro Science (EMS) is the only food nutritional laboratory in Scotland, serving clients in food, leisure, agricultural, and pharmaceutical industries. For more than ten years, they've had constant, steady growth. But after they added protein determination to their services, they struggled with their instruments and results. Finally, in 2020, after five years of frustration, they chose to replace their old instruments with the LECO protein determinators.
The Dumas method has several advantages over the Kjeldahl method: it is much faster, with much lower operating costs, no real safety issues, and no toxic waste produced. However, there is a debate over which of the two main approaches to the Dumas method is better: a vertical or a horizontal combustion furnace. Determined to settle the question on which method is more precise and offers the most advantages, LECO chemists analyzed many sample types in both an FP828 and an FP928.
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