Katherine Ann I.

Belleza

ESSENTIAL AMINO ACIDS

Amino Acids Characteristics Significance Source

Histidine The chemical Histidine facilitates Meat, fish, poultry,

structure of growth, the creation nuts, seeds, and
histidine is of blood cells, and whole grains
C6H9N3O2. tissue repair. It also
Histidine is notable helps maintain the
because it has a special protective
ring structure in its covering over nerve
R group that cells, which is
contains two called the myelin
nitrogen groups. sheath.
Histidine is
characterized as
being positively
charged.

Isoleucine It is classified as a Isoleucine helps meat, fish, poultry,

non-polar, with wound healing, eggs, cheese,
uncharged (at immunity, blood lentils, nuts, and
physiological pH), sugar regulation, seeds
branched-chain, and hormone
aliphatic amino production. It is
acid. primarily present in
muscle tissue and
regulates energy
levels.

Leucine is one of the three Leucine helps Dairy, soy, beans,

amino acids with a regulate blood and legumes
branched sugar levels and
hydrocarbon side aids the growth and
chain. It has one repair of muscle
additional and bone. It is also
methylene group in necessary for
its side chain wound healing and
compared with the production of
valine. growth hormone.

Like valine, leucine

is hydrophobic and
generally buried in
 folded proteins.
Lysine The specific Lysine plays a vital meat, eggs, soy,
structure of lysine is role in building black beans,
indicative of its muscle, maintaining quinoa, and
chemical formula, bone strength, pumpkin seeds.
C6H14N2O2. This aiding recovery
structure attaches from injury or
to the central surgery, and
carbon of the regulating
amino acid back hormones,
bone. Lysine is a antibodies, and
linear amino acid enzymes. It may
molecule. also have antiviral
Lysine is a base. effects.
Lysine is positively
charged in nature. 

Methionine is one of the two Methionine plays a eggs, grains, nuts,

sulfur-containing role in the health and seeds.
amino acids. The and flexibility of
side chain is quite skin and hair. It
hydrophobic and also helps keep
methionine is nails strong. It aids
usually found the proper
buried within absorption of
proteins. selenium and zinc
and the removal of
heavy metals, such
as lead and
mercury.

Phenylalanine is quite Phenylalanine dairy, meat, poultry,

hydrophobic and helps the body use soy, fish, beans,
even the free other amino acids and nuts.
amino acid is not as well as proteins
very soluble in and enzymes. The
water. body converts
phenylalanine to
tyrosine, which is
necessary for
specific brain
functions.

Threonine is a hydrophilic Threonine is lean beef, lamb,

molecule. necessary for pork, collagen,
Threonine is healthy skin and gelatin, cheese
 another hydroxyl- teeth, as it is a
containing amino component in tooth
acid. It differs from enamel, collagen,
serine by having a and elastin. It helps
methyl substituent aid fat metabolism
in place of one of and may be
the hydrogens on beneficial for
the β carbon and it people with
differs from valine indigestion, anxiety,
by replacement of a and mild
methyl substituent depression.
with a hydroxyl
group.

Tryptophan contains an α- Tryptophan is Cheese, Chicken,

amino group, an α- necessary for Egg whites, Fish,
carboxylic acid proper growth in Milk, Sunflower
group, and a side infants and is a seeds
chain indole, precursor of Peanuts, Pumpkin
making it a non- serotonin and seeds
polar aromatic melatonin.
amino acid. Serotonin is a
neurotransmitter
that regulates
appetite, sleep,
mood, and pain.
Melatonin also
regulates sleep.
Tryptophan is a
sedative, and it is
an ingredient in
some sleep aids. 

Valine is hydrophobic, and Valine is essential meats, fish, soy,

as expected, is for mental focus, and dairy
usually found in the muscle
interior of proteins. coordination, and
emotional calm.
People may use
valine supplements
for muscle growth,
tissue repair, and
energy.

NON-ESSENTIAL AMINO ACIDS

Amino Acids Characteristics Significance Source

Alanine is a hydrophobic Alanine is an amino meat and poultry,

molecule. It is acid that is used to fish, eggs, and
ambivalent, make proteins. It is dairy products
meaning that it can used to break down
be inside or outside tryptophan and
of the protein vitamin B-6. It is a
molecule. The α source of energy
carbon of alanine is for muscles and the
optically active; in central nervous
proteins, only the L- system. It
isomer is found. strengthens the
Note that alanine is immune system
the α-amino acid and helps the body
analog of the α- use sugars.
keto acid pyruvate,
an intermediate in
sugar metabolism.
Ala (CH3)

Arginine has a positively It is the precursor nuts (like walnuts,

charged guanidino for the synthesis of hazelnuts, pecans,
group. Arginine is proteins and other peanuts, almonds,
well designed to molecules cashews, and
bind the phosphate Brazil nuts), seeds
anion, and is often (like sesame and
found in the active sunflower), oats,
centers of proteins corn, cereals,
that bind buckwheat, brown
phosphorylated rice, dairy products,
substrates. meat, chicken, and
chocolate

Asparagine has a white, is required for dairy, whey, beef,

crystalline development and poultry, eggs, fish,
appearance. The function of the seafood,
density of this brain. The asparagus,
compound availability of potatoes, legumes,
corresponds to asparagine is also nuts, seeds, soy
1.543 grams per important for and whole grains.
cubic centimeter. protein synthesis
The melting and during replication of
boiling point of poxviruses.
asparagine
correspond to 507
K and 711 K
 respectively.
Asparagine is
somewhat soluble
in water – it has a
solubility of 2.94
g/100 mL.

Aspartic acid has an acidic side Aspartic acid helps oysters, luncheon
chain (CH2COOH) every cell in the meats, sausage,
body work. It plays meat, seeds, oats,
a role in: Hormone avocado,
production and asparagus,
release. Normal sugarcane,
nervous system molasses
function

Cysteine Cysteine is a important for chicken, turkey,

triprotic acid with making protein, and yogurt, cheese,
three ionizable for other metabolic eggs, sunflower
functional groups functions. It's found seeds and legumes
including a in beta-keratin. This
carboxylic acid, an is the main protein
amino, and a in nails, skin, and
sulfhydryl group hair. Cysteine is
 Cys important for
making collagen.

Glutamic acid Polar uncharged Glutamic acid is an meat, poultry, fish,

and similar to amino acid used to eggs, and dairy
aspartic acid form proteins. In products
the body it turns
into glutamate. This
is a chemical that
helps nerve cells in
the brain send and
receive information
from other cells. It
may be involved in
learning and
memory.

Glutamine Glutamine (symbol Glutamine is the beef, chicken, fish,

Gln or Q) is an α- most abundant dairy products,
amino acid that is amino acid in our eggs, vegetables
used in the bodies. It works to like beans, beets,
biosynthesis of support many cabbage, spinach,
proteins. Its side healthy functions, carrots, parsley,
 chain is similar to including: Making vegetable juices
that of glutamic proteins for muscle and also in wheat,
acid, except the tissue. Fueling cells papaya, Brussels
carboxylic acid that protect our sprouts, celery,
group is replaced intestines. kale and fermented
by an amide. It is Supporting immune foods like miso
classified as a system cells.
charge-neutral,
polar amino acid.

Glycine It is highly soluble Glycine contributes Red meats, Seeds

in water and is said to cellular growth Turkey, Chicken,
to be a polar and health. Glycine Pork, Peanuts,
molecule. is one of the amino Canned salmon,
It appears as a acids essential to Granola
colorless crystalline the body's
solid having a synthesis of the
sweet taste. antioxidant
It is said to be glutathione. Cells
hydrophilic in produce glutathione
nature. in order to fight free
This acts like a radicals that can
buffer solution at a otherwise cause
pH 6.00 due to its oxidative stress and
acidic nature damage cells,
It helps in the proteins, and DNA.
building up of
proteins in the body
and when mixed
with carbohydrate,
it improves lean
growth and
provides good
recovery.

Proline Proline is unique in Proline plays meat, fish, and

that it is the only important roles in dairy. Proline can
amino acid where protein synthesis also be taken as a
the side chain is and structure, supplement.
connected to the metabolism
protein backbone (particularly the
twice, forming a synthesis of
five-membered arginine,
nitrogen-containing polyamines, and
ring. ... For this glutamate via
reason, Proline can pyrroline-5-
 often be found in carboxylate), and
very tight turns in nutrition, as well as
protein structures wound healing,
antioxidative
reactions, and
immune responses.

Serine Serine differs from Serine is important soybeans, nuts

alanine in that one in metabolism in (especially peanuts,
of the methylenic that it participates almonds, and
hydrogens is in the biosynthesis walnuts), eggs,
replaced by a of purines and chickpeas, lentils,
hydroxyl group. pyrimidines. It is the meat, and fish
Serine is one of two precursor to several (especially
hydroxyl amino amino acids shellfish).
acids. Both are including glycine
commonly and cysteine, as
considered to by well as tryptophan
hydrophilic due to in bacteria.
the hydrogen
bonding capacity of
the hydroxyl group.

Tyrosine is also an aromatic It is an essential soy products,

amino acid and is component for the chicken, turkey,
derived from production of fish, peanuts,
phenylalanine by several important almonds,
hydroxylation in the brain chemicals avocados,
para position. While called bananas, milk,
tyrosine is neurotransmitters, cheese, yogurt,
hydrophobic, it is including cottage cheese,
significantly more epinephrine, lima beans,
soluble that is norepinephrine, pumpkin seeds,
phenylalanine. and dopamine. and sesame seeds.
Neurotransmitters
help nerve cells
communicate and
influence mood.
Tyrosine also helps
produce melanin,
the pigment
responsible for hair
and skin color.

References:
https://www.sproutliving.com/what-are-essential-and-nonessential-amino-acids/
https://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/324229#types
https://study.com/learn/lesson/amino-acids-strucutre-properties-made-of.html
https://www.mountsinai.org/health-library/supplement/tyrosine#:~:text=Dietary
%20Sources,pumpkin%20seeds%2C%20and%20sesame%20seeds.
https://www.sciencedirect.com/topics/medicine-and-dentistry/serine#:~:text=Serine%20is
%20non%2Dessential%20amino,and%20fish%20(especially%20shellfish).
https://www.webmd.com/vitamins/ai/ingredientmono-1620/proline
https://www.webmd.com/diet/health-benefits-glycine#:~:text=As%20an%20amino%20acid%2C
%20glycine%20contributes%20to%20cellular%20growth%20and%20health.&text=Glycine
%20is%20one%20of%20the,cells%2C%20proteins%2C%20and%20DNA.