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  1. Many proteins are enzymes that catalyze biochemical reactions and are vital to metabolism.

Proteins for humans

Egg whites contain a lot of protein


Muscles contain a lot of protein. When protein is digested, it is broken down into its amino acids. These amino acids can then be used to build new protein. Proteins form an important part in foods like milk, eggs, meat, fish, beans, and nuts. There are four things that determine what a protein will do. The first is the order of the amino acids. There are 20 amino acids, and they are all a bit different. The second is the little twists in the chain. The third is how the entire thing is folded up. The fourth is whether it is made up of different sub-units. Haemoglobin molecules, for example, are made of four sub-units.

Essential amino acids


There are nine essential amino acids for humans, which must be got from food. Meat contains all the essential amino acids humans need; most plants do not. However, eating a mixture of plants, such as both wheat and peanut butter, or rice and beans, provides all the essential amino acids needed. Soy products like tofu provide all the essential amino acids but are not the only way to get the protein you need.

The scientist Jons Jacob Berzelius gave proteins their name,[3] but many other scientists have studied proteins.

Related pages


  1. See protein structure for more on this topic.
  3. Hartley, Harold (1951). "Origin of the word 'protein'". Nature 168 (244). http://www.nature.com/nature/journal/v168/n4267/abs/168244a0.html.

Other websites

  • Protein from the Harvard School of Public Health