Accurate determination of amino acids in food proteins is essential for evaluating protein quality, nutritional value, and dietary adequacy. With increasing plant-based protein consumption and the essential role of amino acids in human health, there is a growing demand for accurate, high-throughput, and reproducible analytical techniques. However, many gold-standard techniques are time-consuming, labor-intensive, and expensive, limiting their suitability for high-throughput analysis. Consequently, the food protein industry urgently needs rapid, precise approaches for amino acid characterization. Developing such tools requires a clear and comprehensive understanding of both established techniques and the emerging methods shaping the field. This review comprehensively examines chromatographic, spectroscopic, and biosensor-based approaches for amino acid determination. Chromatography remains the benchmark for precise quantification due to high sensitivity and reproducibility, though it involves extensive sample preparation and longer analysis times. Spectroscopic methods enable rapid, often non-destructive, and high-throughput analysis, though matrix interferences and spectral overlap remain key challenges. Biosensors, integrating selective biorecognition elements with transducers, offer an emerging solution for portable, real-time, on-site monitoring in complex food matrices. By synthesizing current methodologies, analyzing their limitations, and highlighting research gaps, this review delineates a framework for developing efficient, sustainable, next-generation platforms for amino acid analysis in food proteins. • Chromatography remains the benchmark for precise amino acid analysis • Spectroscopy enables rapid, non-destructive screening of food proteins • Biosensors offer portable, real-time amino acid detection potential • Method choice depends on trade-offs among accuracy, speed, and cost • Review integrates classical tools with emerging real-time technologies
Sivakumar et al. (Fri,) studied this question.