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What foods have amino acids?

Amino acids are the building blocks of proteins and are very important for human health too.   What are the amino acids ? Amino acids are organic compounds known for their critical role in protein synthesis. They are the building blocks of proteins. Apart from their function as a protein builder, they are also actively involved in other critical bodily functions like muscle building and repairing, neurotransmission, etc.   What foods have amino acids? Though 11 nonessential amino acids out of 20 total amino acids can be easily obtained within the body, the rest nine essential amino acids need to be consumed through external sources like food and dietary supplements. Fortunately, several foods are rich in amino acids to fulfill our nutritional needs. More impressive is their availability of both plant and animal-based sources. Let’s check out some of the best commonly available foods high in amino acids. ·          Quinoa is one of the most nutritious grains. Besides b
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Umami -Why The Fifth Taste Is So Important

Umami is the newest discovered taste and has been recognized as the fifth taste after the earlier traditional four tastes sweet, salty, sour, and bitter. Despite being the latest of all, umami flavor has managed to expand its craze almost throughout the world, especially in the western world. It has also managed to win credibility among the scientific universe, with its benefits for humans. Let’s take a look at some crucial details of umami and try to understand why has umami gained so much importance   Discovery of Umami The story of umami discovery is quite interesting. So, one day a Japanese chemist named Kikunae Ikeda sat for his regular meal. He had a soupy dish made of a seaweed named kombu. He realized that this soup was tasting totally different than the other dishes served to him. That taste neither could be defined as sweet nor salty. He decided to research a bit more. He took the kombu seaweed to his laboratory, where, after several tests and research he conc
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Mechanism of The Perception of “Kokumi” Substances

Every food has a unique taste or flavor of its own. But for some, we cannot explain the flavors at all. Neither can they be assigned to the recognized five tastes, nor can we find their exact flavor. There are few flavor modifiers that enhance the taste of the food. One such taste modifier is kokumi.   Kokumi substances are those substances that modify the taste of the flavor. So, I have tried to compile the mechanism of kokumi sensation Glutathione (GSH) is one of the agonists of the calcium-sensing receptor(CaSR). Hence, it is the base of the overall mechanism. A positive correlation exists between the CaSR activity of glutamyl peptides and kokumi intensity. The kokumi intensity of GSH and glutathione, valine, and glycine , which is potent kokumi peptide reduced by the CaSR specific antagonist. CaSR is involved in the perception of kokumi substances. And the glue-Val-gly is a kokumi peptide and would be useful for improving the flavor of food. The mechanism of the perce
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Uses of BCAA

BCAA or branched-chain amino acids are the three out of nine essential amino acids that area part of the genetically coded total 20 amino acids structures . These 9 essential amino acids are the ones that cannot be obtained within your body, hence need to be taken from outside sources like food and dietary supplements. Leucine, Isoleucine and Valine are the three BCAAs. Let’s take a look at some of their uses: BCAAs boost your metabolism to keep it in proper condition. You need the right amount of adequate BCAAs to keep the body functioning. BCAA Valine helps muscle growth and repair, as muscles contain amino acid residues in the form of protein. BCAAs help prevents muscle soaring, muscle damage, increase muscle growth activated through Leucine . BCAAs are considered to be performance boosters, by providing energy, maintaining muscle and tissue strength, thus boost your performance. Supplements of branched-chain amino acids(BCAAs) are often recommended to athletes and active individu
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