Nutrients from Chicken: The Building Blocks of Proteins
What happens to the nutrients from a piece of chicken when it is digested by the body?
When a person eats a piece of chicken, filled with protein, it is digested by the body into small nutrients. These small nutrients are then absorbed by cells. The nutrients that came from this piece of meat could be put back together into what kinds of compounds? (Choose at least 2)
- Amino Acids
- New Proteins
What are proteins and amino acids?
Food proteins are digested by enzymatic action. Amino acids are released from these proteins and carried to the consumer's cells where they are used to build new proteins. The nutrients that came from this piece of meat could be put back together into new proteins.
Answer:
When a person eats a piece of chicken filled with protein, the body digests it into small nutrients. These nutrients can be put back together into amino acids and new proteins.
Proteins are polymers with a tridimensional structure needed to accomplish the molecules' functions. These functions depend on the protein, the cell requirements, and the organism that produces them. Proteins are composed of several amino acids together. These amino acids are monomers.
During protein synthesis, tRNA selects the correct amino acids to build the new protein according to the genetic information provided by mRNA. By working together, mRNA, rRNA, and tRNA arrange amino acids and produce a new protein that will accomplish certain functions. Some of the amino acids used to build the proteins cannot be produced by the organism, so they need to be ingested.
These amino acids are introduced to the cell when food is digested and nutrients are absorbed. The organism breaks down proteins from food into different amino acids that are transported into the cells, where they are used for various functions. It's a fascinating process of recycling and utilizing nutrients to build essential structures in the body.