SPRINT
A rapid protein analyser that measures protein directly by a dye-binding bioscience technique, rather than inferring it from total nitrogen. Results in 3 minutes, AOAC Official Methods, no hazardous chemicals.
The melamine lesson.
Kjeldahl and Dumas measure all nitrogen in a sample — protein nitrogen plus non-protein nitrogen from urea, nitrates, ammonia and free amino acids — then multiply by a conversion factor (typically 6.25) to estimate protein. Any nitrogen-containing substance inflates the result. The 2008 melamine adulteration of infant formula illustrated what this means in practice: melamine is 66% nitrogen by mass, so adding it to milk made the protein reading appear normal while the milk contained none. SPRINT uses a specific dye-binding technique that tags protein and ignores non-protein nitrogen — the result is a true protein measurement.
Wherever protein content is specified, priced or regulated.
The food composition testing picture.
Fat analysis, no calibration or solvents.
Measure true protein, not total nitrogen
| Kjeldahl | SPRINT | |
|---|---|---|
| What it measures | Total nitrogen | True protein |
| Time | 1–2 hours | 3 minutes |
| Hazardous chemicals | Concentrated H₂SO₄, catalysts, fume scrubbing, distillation | None |
| Waste | Hazardous | None |
| Infrastructure | Dedicated fume installation required | Bench-top |
| Adulteration detection | Cannot detect nitrogen-based adulterants | Unaffected by non-protein nitrogen |
Questions we are asked about the SPRINT.
Kjeldahl measures total nitrogen and multiplies by a conversion factor, so any nitrogen-containing substance — not just protein — inflates the reading. The 2008 melamine adulteration of infant formula relied on exactly this weakness. SPRINT uses a dye-binding technique that tags protein specifically and is unaffected by non-protein nitrogen.
3 minutes, compared with 1–2 hours for Kjeldahl.
No. Kjeldahl requires concentrated sulfuric acid, catalysts, fume scrubbing and distillation, and produces hazardous waste, with a dedicated fume installation. SPRINT uses none of these and runs on the bench-top.
Yes, SPRINT operates under AOAC Official Methods.
The workflow around the SPRINT.
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