PDCAAS - Invitro (Protein Quality) Test

Protein quality: A measure of a dietary protein’s usefulness for tissue growth and maintenance.

A complete protein is that which has a limiting amino acid score of 1. It would have adequate portions of the nine essential amino acids.

The In-vitro PDCAAS method is recommended for research and product development use. At this time, it is recommended to use the in-vivo PDCAAS (rat digestion) for final product labeling.

We make every effort to keep our methods and detection limits up to date according to the latest standards and qualifications. If you have any questions regarding the limit of detection/quantification or method references, please contact our Customer Service team at 1-800-245-5615.

Our standard turnaround time is 10 business days for most assays. There are some assays that require a longer turnaround time. We also offer a RUSH service that is half the time of the standard turnaround time of the assay at double the cost of the assay. A few assays that we provide cannot be rushed due to the nature of the test. Please check the specific assay you are interested in regarding the ability to RUSH the turnaround time.

Medallion Lab’s in-vitro PDCAAS test is an animal-free assessment of protein quality. Other protein quality tests, such as in-vivo PDCAAS and DIAAS testing, are conducted using live animals and typically take weeks to months to complete along with a significant amount of sample.

As far as comparisons, our in-vitro test is designed to mimic the in-vivo PDCAAS protocol as closely as possible, with results correlating closely for many protein sources. For specific data, please refer to the Medallion blog post concerning protein testing.

Currently, the in-vitro PDCAAS test does not meet regulatory requirements for protein claims in the United States. This test is designed for several types of situations: R&D purposes, preliminary check before investing in an in-vivo PDCAAS or DIAAS test, and/or companies that have policies against animal testing. For any questions regarding regulations around protein claims, we recommend that you work with a consultant.

Many limitations from the in-vivo PDCAAS test have been resolved with the in-vitro (ASAP) PDCAAS test, including: faster turnaround time, lower sample requirements, and removing the animal component of testing. However, there are some limitations to the PDCAAS philosophy that are shared, including:

• Very high-quality proteins are rounded to 1.00, meaning the highest value achievable is 1.00 even if higher amino acid scores are found in the sample.
• The digestibility of specific amino acids is not examined; instead, the overall digestibility of the protein in the sample influences the PDCAAS Score.
• The digestibility and amino acid score are the only parameters that influence the PDCAAS Score, and they are placed at equal importance.

The in-vitro PDCAAS report created by Medallion has many points of information and can be used to determine what aspect of your product is either over-fortified or lacking in protein to allow for efficient re-formulation.