essential amino acid
Noun
Meaning
an amino acid that is required by animals but that they cannot synthesize; must be supplied in the diet
Source: WordNetHypernyms
Hyponyms
Examples
Biosynthesis As an essential amino acid, phenylalanine is not synthesized de novo in humans and other animals, who must ingest phenylalanine or phenylalanine-containing proteins.
Biosynthesis Methionine biosynthesis As an essential amino acid, methionine is not synthesized de novo in humans and other animals, who must ingest methionine or methionine-containing proteins.
Phenylalanine and phenylketonuria High levels of the naturally-occurring essential amino acid phenylalanine are a health hazard to those born with phenylketonuria (PKU), a rare inherited disease that prevents phenylalanine from being properly metabolized.
This essential amino acid is classified as neutral, and nonpolar because of the inert and hydrophobic nature of the benzyl side chain.
Cooking also increases protein digestibility, essential amino acid index, and protein efficiency ratio.
In plants, the parent amino acid L-tryptophan is produced endogenously where in animals L-tryptophan is an essential amino acid coming from diet.