- Essential amino acids are only as good as how they are produced, purified and verified.
- Fermentation produces biologically active L-form amino acids with cleaner impurity profiles than typical chemical synthesis routes [1],[2].
- Finished-product testing matters because blending, flavouring and compression can change what you actually end up consuming [3].
- Our EAAs are fermented, manufactured in the UK under GMP and BRC standards, and third-party tested for identity, purity and label accuracy.
- Our Essential Aminos Tablets are compressed without fillers or binders, which is rare for tablets in this category.
Most people compare an EAA supplement by flavour, price, and whatever the front label shouts the loudest. That makes sense. It is the only information most brands make easy to find. The problem is that essential amino acids are not a “pretty label” category. The way EAAs are made and verified determines whether they dissolve cleanly, whether they sit well in the stomach, whether they feel consistent in training, and whether the dose you think you are getting is the dose you actually are getting.
I’m not saying every non-transparent product is “bad”. I am saying the category has a lot of hidden compromises. The most common ones are sourcing, purification and testing. When people say EAAs “didn’t do anything” or “made me feel rough”, it is often not the idea of essential amino acids that failed. It is the process behind the product.
This article is the behind-the-scenes walkthrough of how we make our EAAs, why we chose fermentation, what we test for, and what “purity standards” actually means in real life.
A Note from Ben
I used to think the main differentiator in amino acids was dose and ratio. Then I started pulling on the sourcing thread. That is when it clicked. Two formulas can list the same essential amino acids and still behave very differently in real use.
Once you learn how amino acids are produced, how impurities show up, and how easy it is for a finished product to drift away from what the label implies, you stop looking at EAAs like a commodity. Fermentation, testing and manufacturing discipline became non-negotiable for me, even when it made the whole project harder.
This is the process we follow and why we follow it.
Stay optimised,
Ben
Step One: Fermentation as the Foundation
Our EAAs are produced through microbial fermentation. In practical terms, that means carefully selected microorganisms are fed a substrate and, as part of their metabolism, they produce amino acids. Those amino acids are then separated, purified and dried into a form that can be used in a powder or compressed into a tablet.
The reason I prefer fermentation is not because it sounds “natural”. It is because it consistently produces amino acids in the biologically active L-form that human metabolism is built to use. The body is fussy. Enzymes and transporters recognise specific structures. Fermentation is an efficient way to generate the correct form with fewer harsh chemical steps and a generally cleaner impurity profile [1],[2].
Chemical synthesis can also produce amino acids, but it typically involves industrial reactions, intermediates and extra purification steps to isolate the desired form. Each step is a chance for variability. Fermentation is slower and often costs more, but it gives you a cleaner starting point and a more predictable end product when it is done properly [2].
Raw Material Selection: What Gets Rejected
Here is the part most brands do not talk about. “Fermented” is not a magic stamp. You can still end up with a raw material that behaves poorly if the purification is sloppy, the process control is inconsistent, or the supplier is simply chasing cost efficiency.
When we review amino acid raw materials, we are looking for signals that the product will be clean and repeatable in finished form. If a raw material is inconsistent, it will show up later as bitterness that is hard to flavour away, solubility issues, sediment in the shaker, or tolerance issues during training.
In plain terms, the red flags are usually obvious once you have handled enough amino acids. We reject inputs that show persistent issues such as harsh off-notes, poor solubility behaviour, unusual clumping, or unexplained variability between lots. Those are not “small problems”. They are early warnings.
Step Two: From Raw Ingredient to Finished Product
A lot of brands stop at raw material testing. They confirm identity and basic purity on the ingredient, then assume the finished product will match the label. The issue is that a finished EAA supplement is not just raw amino acids poured into a tub.
Blending can introduce segregation. Flavour systems can interact with amino acids. Moisture can change flow and stability. Compression can alter how tablets behave, and it can also force manufacturers to add excipients just to make the product manufacturable. These are normal manufacturing realities, and they are exactly why finished-product verification matters [3].
That is why we treat the finished product as the thing that must be proven. If you care about label accuracy and customer experience, finished-product testing is not optional. It is the point.
Step Three: Finished-Product Testing (Where Most Brands Stop Short)
Finished-product testing is where you find out whether the formula you designed is the formula you are actually delivering. This matters for powders, and it matters even more for tablets because compression adds another layer of complexity.
Our approach is simple: verify identity, purity and label accuracy in the finished product, not just in the raw inputs. We also care about contaminants because amino acids are concentrated ingredients and purity is a real-world safety consideration, not a marketing buzzword [3],[4].
This is also where trust is either earned or avoided. If a brand refuses to talk about finished-product testing, the best-case scenario is they have not prioritised it. The worst-case scenario is they do not want you to ask.
Tablets Without Fillers: Why This Was Harder Than It Looks
Amino acid tablets are almost always made with fillers and binders. That is not because companies are evil. It is because amino acids do not always compress nicely. Fillers improve flow, lubrication and tablet integrity. They also dilute the active ingredients and introduce extra variables for digestion and tolerance.
I pushed hard for our Essential Aminos Tablets to be completely filler free. That meant working with DC-grade amino acids and getting the manufacturer to compress the actives without the usual crutches. It took more effort, it took more iteration, and it is absolutely not the easiest path if you are trying to make the cheapest tablet possible.
The payoff is simple: the tablet is what it says it is. Aminos only. Each tablet is 1 g, and each tub contains 300 tablets, which makes dosing straightforward and precise. If you want to see the formats, they are here: Essential Aminos Tablets and EAA Powder.
Manufacturing Standards: GMP and BRC in Practice
People throw around “GMP” constantly. The only version of GMP that matters is the version that shows up in repeatability. Processes are documented, hygiene is controlled, traceability exists, and deviations are investigated rather than ignored. BRC adds another layer of discipline around food safety systems and audit expectations.
Why does this matter for an EAA supplement? Because you are buying repeatability. You are buying the confidence that the same formula behaves the same way month after month. When the manufacturing environment is loose, variability creeps in. That is when a product tastes different from tub to tub, mixes differently, or feels different in use.
Why Purity Shows Up in Real-World Use
Purity is not an abstract lab concept. It shows up in a shaker bottle.
When amino acids are clean and well purified, they dissolve more predictably, they taste smoother once flavoured, and they tend to be easier to tolerate. When purity is compromised, you see more bitterness that no amount of sweetener fully fixes. You see more cloudiness and sediment. You see more of the “I don’t feel great after taking this” feedback, especially from people using EAAs intra-workout or fasted.
This is also why I care so much about the production method. Fermentation done well tends to produce a cleaner input. Clean inputs make it easier to build a supplement that feels invisible in the best way. It does its job without drama.
Who This Process Matters For Most
If you train occasionally, hit your protein targets, and only use EAAs as a “nice to have”, you might not notice every detail of this process. You will still benefit from it, but it may not feel night-and-day.
If you train frequently, train fasted, run calorie deficits, do higher-volume endurance work, or have a sensitive stomach, these details matter a lot more. In those contexts, a clean EAA supplement is not about hype. It is about whether you can use the product consistently without it becoming a problem.
That is the real standard I use. If it is not consistent and easy to use, it is not a tool. It is a distraction.
How This Process Shapes the Final Formula
Once you build the foundation correctly, formulation becomes straightforward. You can choose doses and ratios based on physiology rather than trying to compensate for poor inputs. You can flavour a powder without masking harshness. You can compress tablets without padding them with binders. You can stand behind what is on the label because it has been verified in the finished form.
This is why I talk about fermentation, testing and purity standards as a package. It is not three separate topics. It is one system. It is also why I am comfortable putting our EAAs in front of customers who actually care about what they are taking.
References
- [1] Wu G. Amino acids: metabolism, functions, and nutrition. Amino Acids. 2009. PubMed
- [2] Li Y et al. Microbial production of amino acids by fermentation. Appl Microbiol Biotechnol. 2011. PubMed
- [3] Cohen PA. Hazards of dietary supplements: contamination, adulteration, and quality control. JAMA. 2014. PubMed
- [4] Dwyer JT et al. Dietary supplements: regulatory and quality considerations. Am J Clin Nutr. 2018. PubMed
- [5] Wolfe RR. The role of amino acids in muscle protein metabolism. J Nutr. 2006. PubMed
Accessed and current December 2025.
👉 If you want EAAs built around fermentation, verification and purity, explore our Essential Aminos Tablets or EAA Powder.
Ben Law is the founder of Love Life Supplements and host of the Optimised Health Show. He is a qualified Advanced Dietary Supplement Advisor and has spent over a decade formulating and sourcing research-led supplements manufactured to UK GMP and BRC standards, with a focus on transparency, dosing accuracy and real-world performance. Learn more about Ben.