Peter Jans

Now on to... Five Fun Facts!

And the first fact, fact number one.

Amino acids are building blocks of proteins.

There are 20 standard amino acids out of which almost all proteins are made.

And fact two.

About 500 amino acids are known.

Now amino acids make proteins as stated in fact one, but it is the amino acid sequence that leads to different shapes and functions of the protein.

And fact three.

Essential amino acids may also differ between species.

For example, ruminants such as cows obtain amino acids via microbes in the first two stomach chambers.

And fact number four.

An amino acid is an organic chemical.

It consists of an A-carbon atom that is covalently bonded to four groups.

And those four groups are a hydrogen atom, an amino group, a carboxyl group, and a variable R group.

And the last fact, fact number five, amino acids also form peptides.

A peptide is simply a short chain amino acid linked by peptide bonds.

Now on to the three question quiz.

And the first question, question number one, what are the three types of amino acids?

And question two, there are nine essential amino acids the body can't make.

Without them, the body's cells would use their own proteins to obtain the missing amino acids.