Analytical nutrition laboratory

Our Analytical Nutrition Laboratory in Brisbane specialises in aquaculture nutrition while also providing analytical services for agricultural, marine, and environmental research.

Based in Brisbane, our Analytical Nutrition Laboratory has over 20 years’ experience supporting the fields of animal nutrition, agricultural science, marine biology, and environmental science, with a focus on aquaculture nutrition.

We are specialists in testing small samples to obtain the maximum amount of information from precious amounts. We routinely conduct multiple assays using 1 gram of dried material or less.

Custom assays can also be developed upon request.

A suite of specialised analytical instrumentation

Our facility contains an array of specialised equipment, assembled to provide a range of analytical data to answer your individual investigative queries.

Instruments include:

• Inductively coupled plasma – optical emission spectrometer – ICP-OES
• Oxygen bomb calorimeter
• Oxygen bomb calorimeter – micro bomb
• Gas chromatographs with multiple detectors:
  • flame ionisation detector GC-FID
  • mass spectrometer GC-MS
• Liquid chromatographs with multiple detectors:
  • tandem mass spectrometer – LC-MS-MS
  • evaporative light scattering detector – LC-ELSD
  • photodiode array – LC-PDA
  • refractive index detection- LC-RID
  • fluorescence detector – LC-FLD
• Elemental analyser
• Spectrometer and Fluorometers
• Fibre analyser
• Near infrared spectrometers – NIR
• Muffle furnace and drying ovens
• Freeze dryers

Analytical capabilities

Our laboratory routinely measures the following.

• Lipid and fatty acid analysis
• Crude Protein
• Total carbon
• Gross energy
• Metals and minerals analysis, including mercury.
• Amino acids and metabolites
• Starch, including amylose, amylose pectin, damaged starch.
• Fibre, including crude fibre, neutral detergent and acid detergent and lignin.
• Water chemistry, including ammonia, phosphate, nitrate and nitrite, total nitrogen and total phosphorus.
• Sugars and total carbohydrate
• Haem iron
• Carotenoids
• Creation of NIR models to predict nutrient composition and digestibility
• Moisture content
• Ash content

Use this service

For further information on analytical capability, prices, and sample submission contact Barney Hines or Nicholas Bourne via analyticalnutritionlaboratory@csiro.au.