Halomlab: High-Speed, Authoritative Amino Acid Testing in Ukraine

Modern protein-based nutrition for farm animals — ensuring optimal growth and weight gain — is inconceivable without a sufficient quantity and balance of the essential amino acids. A living organism must obtain the principal limiting amino acids from its feed so that the remaining amino acids can be used efficiently for protein synthesis.

How to determine precisely which amino acids a feed contains, and in what quantities, is explained today by Anastasia Shuparska, Head of the Laboratory (Halomlab LLC).

Feeds & Facts: Ms Shuparska, your laboratory differs from the rest in its highly specialised field of research. Could you tell us a little about the idea behind founding the laboratory, and why amino acids in particular became the foundation of your work?

Anastasia Shuparska: The idea for the laboratory was born a very long time ago. The question was: what should the laboratory analyse? In 2013 I took up the post of laboratory manager at a large compound-feed plant. That was my first introduction to the feed and agricultural market. It was a fascinating and demanding stage in my career, and it was there that the idea crystallised of entering our market with amino acid analysis. Obtaining a reliable analysis in Ukraine was impossible; samples had to be sent to Europe, which was extremely expensive, and the results took two to three months to arrive (by which time the chickens had already been eaten and the pigs had grown up). Yet amino acid content is the principal driver of animal weight gain — substantial sums are invested in it, and one needs to know exactly how much is present. After the idea came the funding.

At what stage of feed production is it important to carry out the analysis — should it be the raw ingredients or the finished feed?

It is important to analyse amino acids “from field to fork”. In the raw materials (grain, maize, meals, oilcakes, animal meal) — for sound economic formulation of recipes. In intermediate products — to verify production parameters; in finished products (premixes, PVMS, complete feed) — for confidence that the animals receive exactly what they need; and in food products, for confidence that we obtain balanced, wholesome food.

Which amino acids exactly do you determine?

We determine all 20 proteinogenic amino acids (those that form part of protein structures and that influence metabolism in a living organism). We perform this analysis on all products, in all forms.

By what method do you perform your analyses?

The analysis is carried out using a chromatographic method (HPLC). Its essence lies in breaking down the peptides (the building blocks from which protein is made) into free amino acids. The form assimilated by the organism is the L-amino acid. Once the L-forms have been obtained from the peptide, the individual amino acids must then be separated out from the mixture and their quantities calculated. It is chromatography that makes this possible.

Instrumentation is a laboratory's calling card. What are your preferences in this respect?

Yes. The question of having good instrumentation is the most important matter for a laboratory. The more reliable the equipment, the more soundly the manager sleeps (ed.: laughs). So here, cutting corners leads to major losses. We have chromatographic equipment from the world-leading brand Agilent, along with ancillary equipment (so called because it is used to prepare the sample or solutions for analysis) from well-known brands such as Mettler Toledo, Eppendorf and others. We have a good deal of it.
Equipment is also the kind of thing that often requires servicing and maintenance, so, to ensure uninterrupted operation, it is important to have it in duplicate. We have done this in our laboratory as well.

How often should feed be analysed — at regular intervals, or only when problems with animal weight gain begin to appear?

Drawing on my experience in feed production, I can say that when problems arise, financial losses follow. So it makes sense to weigh up whether it is better to spend on analysis (and prevent the problem) or to lose out on profit and damage one's reputation (which also affects profit). On the subject of animal weight gain, we recorded a video interview with the chief technologist of the Eco Meat pig complex, who explained this matter to us very clearly; the interview is available on our website and can be viewed.

If the feed lacks the required balance of amino acids, what adverse consequences will arise?

First, it affects the feeding period (the animals will have to be fed for longer to reach the required weight); second, it affects their health. We will certainly return to this subject in new videos in conversation with leading veterinarians.

How do the samples reach you?

The most convenient way is via Nova Poshta (Lviv, Nova Poshta Branch No. 22), but they can also be delivered in person or sent by any means convenient to you. In our experience, 90% arrive by Nova Poshta delivery.

Which enterprises most often turn to you for amino acid analysis?

Most often these are pig farms, poultry farms and compound-feed plants; we are frequently approached by producers of oilcakes and meals (soya, rapeseed, sunflower), producers of animal meal, fertilisers, fish farms, and also, often, by distributors of amino acids, of imported raw materials, and of preparations enriched with amino acids.

Your laboratory investigates only one field — amino acids. What exactly are the advantages of this? After all, enterprises often order several different analyses, and it would be convenient for them to have everything done in one place.

There is only one advantage here — the quality of the analysis. Having been a laboratory manager for a long time, I know for certain that the more parameters a laboratory determines, the harder it is to guarantee the quality of the work. This concerns the equipment, the supply chain and, most importantly, the qualifications of the staff. We deliberately chose a very narrow specialisation in order to give Ukrainian enterprises the chance to obtain a reliable and relatively rapid analysis of amino acid content.

Do you have plans to develop research in another field?

Yes. Once the terms “amino acid analysis” and “Halomlab” have become synonymous, we will then offer our clients analysis for vitamins — both fat-soluble (A, E, K, D) and water-soluble (the B-complex and vitamin C).

This interview was published in the magazine “Feeds & Facts”, No. 9 (121), 2020.

28 October 2020