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Amino acid "synthesis" in animals works by ripping apart existing amino acids and sticking on new side chains. Animals cannot create an amino acid from nothing.
by astazangasta 12y ago
Amino acid "synthesis" in animals works by ripping apart existing amino acids and sticking on new side chains. Animals cannot create an amino acid from nothing. To do this requires fixing nitrogen, which can only be done by certain bacteria, plants that have a symbiotic relationship with them, or the industrial Haber process for making ammonia.
- maxerickson 12y agoYeah, I wish I had thought to mention how much industrial nitrogen ends up in our food. I guess you could twist that around and say that it is produced using photosynthesis that was captured in the natural gas that is used, but I don't think the poster meant readers to unpack all that out of 'created by plants'.