Lipid

What Lipid does

Mylnefield Lipid Analysis is a specialist contract testing laboratory operating as a trading name of James Hutton Limited, the commercial subsidiary of the publicly funded James Hutton Institute in Dundee, Scotland. Founded in 1995 by Professor Frank Gunstone and Dr Bill Christie MBE, the lab provides accredited analytical services focused exclusively on oils, fats, and lipid chemistry, using gas chromatography, HPLC, LC-MS, GC-MS, Static Headspace GC-MS, and ICP-MS instrumentation. It serves nutraceutical, pharmaceutical, food and drink, clinical, biofuel, cosmetics, and oil-seed customers worldwide, with regulatory-grade service offerings that include routine analyses, cGMP stability storage and testing, method development and validation, an annual training course, and a recently launched Cannabinoid Profiling service.

The business operates under multi-jurisdictional regulatory oversight that constitutes a significant barrier to entry: dual GMP approval from the UK MHRA and US FDA (FDA inspection most recently passed June 2016), GCP inspection by the MHRA, ISO 9001:2015 certification, and UKAS accreditation. Revenue is generated through three professional-services streams: contract analytical testing (single samples to small research projects), cGMP stability storage and testing, and an annual Fatty Acid & Lipid Analysis training course delivered jointly with James Hutton Limited. Pricing is bespoke and quote-based, with limited published benchmarks such as £350 per ICP-MS heavy-metal sample and 20% stability-storage discounts offered in 2021.

Go-to-market is reputation-driven and direct-to-customer: the lab relies on word-of-mouth from its founding experts, proficiency-testing visibility (first place in AOCS LPP 2016/2017, top 3 of 40 for two consecutive years, perfect Z-score in LGC AXIO cannabis testing in 2024), GOED industry association membership, industry events (ISSFAL, AOCS), content marketing through blog posts and white papers, and direct contact via Head of Laboratory Claire Traynor. Samples are submitted globally through a website portal or email, with the small 8-9 person team operating from laboratories on the James Hutton Institute campus in Invergowrie, Dundee, where it has been located since 1999.

Name

Lipid

Legal name

James Hutton Limited

Website

https://lipid.co.uk

Company type

Private

Founded year

1995

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Mylnefield Lipid Analysis is a specialist contract testing laboratory based at the James Hutton Institute in Dundee, Scotland, providing accredited lipid and oil analyses for nutraceutical, pharmaceutical, food, clinical, biofuel, and cosmetics customers worldwide using GC, LC-MS, and GC-MS instrumentation.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Analytical Laboratory Services

NAICS

Medical and Diagnostic Laboratories (62151), Medical Laboratories (621511)

SIC

Services-Testing Laboratories (8734), Services-Commercial Physical & Biological Research (8731)

akta.pro primary industry

Food, Feed & Nutraceutical Analytical Testing (HLAGADAN)

akta.pro secondary industries

Metabolomics & Lipidomics Services (HLAGANAG), Bioanalytical & PK/PD Sample Analysis (Trial Support) (HLAGAEAG), Residue & Contaminant Testing (Pesticides, Vet Drugs, Mycotoxins, Heavy Metals) (AFALAAAF)

Keywords

• Lipid analysis services
• Contract analytical testing
• Fatty acid profiling
• GMP stability testing
• Cannabinoid profiling

Headquarters

HQ city

Dundee

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Technology or R&D, Operations, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Contract Analytical Testing Services: Mylnefield Lipid Analysis provides a wide range of accredited analytical services, ranging from analyses of single samples to small research projects. Services include analysis, stability and storage testing, method development, method validation, and clinical trial sample handling.
2. Training Courses: Annual Fatty Acid & Lipid Chemistry, Biology & Analysis course delivered by Mylnefield Lipid Analysis and James Hutton Limited, attracting delegates from across the globe.
3. Stability Storage: cGMP stability storage and analytical testing resources for commercial stability studies, release testing and quality control analyses for pharmaceutical ingredients and drug products.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion3 records

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Mylnefield Lipid Analysis is a leading international contract testing laboratory offering specialist analysis of oils and fats. The lab provides routine and bespoke analytical services using techniques including gas chromatography, HPLC, and mass spectrometry, alongside cGMP stability storage and testing, method development and validation, and an annual training course. It also offers cannabinoid profiling for cannabis-derived medicinal and nutraceutical products.

Product overview

Mylnefield Lipid Analysis is a leading international contract testing laboratory offering specialist analysis of oils and fats. The portfolio consists of four core analytical service lines (Analyses, Stability Testing & Storage, Method Development & Validation, and Training Course) delivered across six industry sectors (Nutraceuticals, Food & Drink, Clinical Samples, Biofuel, Skin Lipids, and Oil Content/Seeds). A notable addition is the Cannabinoid Profiling service for cannabis-derived products. The laboratory provides routine and bespoke analyses using techniques including gas chromatography, HPLC, and mass spectrometry, serving customers worldwide from its facility at the James Hutton Institute in Dundee, Scotland.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Analyses Services

Quantifiable outcome

• Perfect Z-score of 0 for CBD in LGC AXIO Proficiency Testing for Cannabis and Related Products (CA007 Round 07)
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers8 records

Segments6 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature5 records

Partnerships

Four partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• James Hutton InstitutecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerMylnefield Lipid Analysis is a trading name of James Hutton Limited, the commercial subsidiary of the James Hutton Institute. The lab is located on the Institute's campus at Invergowrie, Dundee. The partnership provides access to research facilities, scientific expertise, and shared resources including mass spectrometry equipment.
• GOED (Global Organization for EPA & DHA Omega-3s)coreOthersMylnefield Lipid Analysis is a member of GOED, the global organization for EPA & DHA omega-3s. This membership provides industry recognition, access to GOED analytical methods and standards, and participation in GOED-organized proficiency testing programs.
• West Coast BiomediusminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerMylnefield Lipid Analysis was appointed by West Coast Biomedius to perform complete analysis of AKGs for a study on Ratfish liver oil published in the Journal of Integrative Clinical Medicine.
• Winwood BioscienceminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerRob Winwood, proprietor of Winwood Bioscience, joined as a consultant to Mylnefield Lipid Analysis in November 2021. Rob is a specialist in lipid nutrition and has held senior positions in DSM, Martek Biosciences, ADM, and serves on scientific committees of GOEDomega3.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves8 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• Intertek Group: Global TIC provider with food and pharmaceutical analytical services including lipid, contaminant and stability testing. Comparable as a one-stop testing incumbent competing for analytical budget from the same enterprise customers.
• Mérieux NutriSciences: International food testing, labeling and regulatory services group with dedicated nutraceutical and lipid analysis capabilities. Directly comparable customer overlap with Mylnefield Lipid Analysis's nutraceutical and omega-3 testing work.
• SGS SA: Global testing, inspection and certification company with major food, agri and life sciences testing divisions including lipid and fatty acid profiling. Serves the same multinational nutraceutical and food manufacturers as Mylnefield Lipid Analysis but at vastly larger scale.
• ALS Limited: Global testing services provider with food, pharmaceutical and environmental divisions including lipid and fatty acid analytical capability. A broad incumbent competitor for the same enterprise and nutraceutical testing contracts.
• Bureau Veritas: Global testing, inspection and certification group with agri-food and commodity testing services including oils, fats and biofuels. Competes for the same food, biofuel and nutraceutical testing budgets that Mylnefield Lipid Analysis serves.
• Eurofins Scientific: Global leader in food, pharmaceutical and clinical testing services with extensive fatty acid and lipid analysis capability. Operates as a broad incumbent across many verticals, while Mylnefield Lipid Analysis is a specialist lipid-focused lab serving overlapping nutraceutical, food and pharma customers.
• Charles River Laboratories: Global CRO with bioanalytical, stability and clinical sample testing services across small and large molecule drug development. Comparable to Mylnefield Lipid Analysis's GCP/GMP-regulated clinical sample and pharmaceutical stability testing work, but at much larger scale.

Direct peers

• Campden BRI: UK-based member-supported food and drink research organisation with a contract analytical laboratory covering lipid, fatty acid and stability testing. Highly comparable as a UK specialist food/lipid testing peer with similar nutraceutical and food-industry customer base.
• Nofima: Norwegian food, aquaculture and fisheries research institute with specialist lipid and fatty acid analytical laboratories supporting the seafood and omega-3 industry. Comparable as a publicly-funded research-linked specialist lipid testing peer serving similar marine lipid/nutraceutical customers.
• Reading Scientific Services (RSSL): UK-based contract analytical laboratory serving food, nutraceutical and pharmaceutical clients with method development, stability, and lipid characterisation services. Closely matches Mylnefield Lipid Analysis's service portfolio of analyses, method development, and stability storage.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xtwitter.com/MylnefieldLA
• YouTubeyoutube.com/playlist?list=PLbyF95xcYXC-3twq7OwHgyA-XjwcSzn3I
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/lipid

Compliance5 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles7 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Lipid