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Proteins are an important class of macronutrients (along with carbohydrates and fats). Our bodies use proteins for growth and to build and repair body tissues. Hormones, antibodies, and the enzymes that regulate the body's chemical reactions are all made of protein. Each protein is a large complex molecule made up of a long chain of building blocks
called amino acids. The molecular weights of protein molecules range from about 10,000 to over 1,000,000 amu (atomic mass units).
The 20 amino acids the body needs can be linked in thousands of different ways to form thousands of different proteins, each with a unique function in the body. Humans can make some of the amino acids within their own bodies, but eight must be eaten in our food and are called essential amino acids. (Two others, histidine and arginine, are essential for infants.) The names, structural formulas, and 3-D models of the amino acids are shown in the table below.
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The copyright of the article The Chemistry of Food, Part 3--Proteins and Amino Acids in Chemistry is owned by Linda Mamassian. Permission to republish The Chemistry of Food, Part 3--Proteins and Amino Acids in print or online must be granted by the author in writing.
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