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Nitrogen is a fundamental chemical component of amino acids, the molecular building blocks of protein. As such, nitrogen balance may be used as an index of protein metabolism. [1] When more nitrogen is gained than lost by an individual, they are considered to have a positive nitrogen balance and be in a state of overall protein anabolism.
The nitrogen from the nitrogenous bases will be transformed in the same way that it is in proteins. Similarly, phosphates will be released from the body and undergo the same changes as those released from proteins and phospholipids.
Absorbed amino acids are typically used to create functional proteins, but may also be used to create energy. [3] They can also be converted into glucose. [4] This glucose can then be converted to triglycerides and stored in fat cells. [5] Proteins can be broken down by enzymes known as peptidases or can break down as a result of denaturation ...
Nitrifying bacteria then convert this ammonium into nitrate by oxidation, which can then be used by plants to create more proteins thus completing the nitrogen cycle. [6] This process is called nitrification. Energy from this oxidation reaction can also be used to synthesize organic compounds in a process called chemosynthesis. [7]
The amount of nitrogen in a chemical substance can be determined by the Kjeldahl method. [21] In particular, nitrogen is an essential component of nucleic acids, amino acids and thus proteins, and the energy-carrying molecule adenosine triphosphate and is thus vital to all life on Earth. [20]
Carbon is found in all organic molecules, whereas nitrogen is an important component of nucleic acids and proteins. Phosphorus is used to make nucleic acids and the phospholipids that comprise biological membranes. Sulfur is critical to the three-dimensional shape of proteins. The cycling of these elements is interconnected.
It does not, however, give a measure of true protein content, as it measures nonprotein nitrogen in addition to the nitrogen in proteins. This is evidenced by the 2007 pet food incident and the 2008 Chinese milk powder scandal, when melamine, a nitrogen-rich chemical, was added to raw materials to fake high protein contents. Also, different ...
Nitrogen fixation is a chemical process by which molecular dinitrogen (N 2) is converted into ammonia (NH 3). [1] It occurs both biologically and abiologically in chemical industries. Biological nitrogen fixation or diazotrophy is catalyzed by enzymes called nitrogenases. [2]