Peptide Shipping and Temperature: Does Heat Damage Peptides?

Abstract & Executive Summary

Temperature is the single biggest environmental factor in peptide stability. Heat speeds up chemical reactions, including the ones that degrade peptides. The key question for shipping is not whether heat matters, but how much heat, for how long, and in what form.

Risk depends on three things

  Form         ->  dry powder is far more robust than solution
  Temperature  ->  higher heat means faster degradation
  Time         ->  short exposure matters less than long exposure

Why Lyophilized Peptides Travel Well

Freeze-dried peptides contain very little water. Most degradation reactions need water or molecular movement, so in dry form they run far more slowly.

What Heat Actually Does

Higher temperatures increase the rate of oxidation, deamidation, hydrolysis and aggregation. The effect builds up over time, which is why long exposure matters more than a brief one.