Soy proteins
Molecular structure
Proteins are highly complex organic compounds found in all living cells and comprising the most abundant class of all biological molecules. Proteins are large molecules with high molecular weights, composed of varying amounts of the same amino acids, which in the intact protein are united through covalent chemical linkages called peptide bonds.
A protein with a molecular weight of 100.000 would contain about 850 amino acid residues. At least twenty of these animo acids are present in both plant and animal proteins. Amino acids are classified as essential (incl. dispensable), and conditionally essential (conditionally indispensable).
The amino acids, linked together, form linear unbranched polymeric structures called polypeptide chains. Such chains may contain hundreds of amino-acid residues, arranged in specific order for a given protein.
Reaction of amino acids to form a peptide bond
Depending on the source, the protein has a different structure and combination of amino acids in its chemical make-up. Every protein molecule has a characteristic three dimensional shape or confirmation which determines its properties.