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The Ajinomoto Group has been conducting amino acids research for more than 100 years." /><meta property="og:image" content="https://www.ajinomoto.com/cms_wp_ajnmt_global/wp-content/uploads/jpg/amino_acids_explained_ogp.jpg" /><meta property="og:type" content="article" /><meta name="twitter:description" content="Amino acids support the fundamentals of healthy living: eating, sleeping, and exercising. Here we present basic information about of amino acids, such as what amino acids are, their types, functions, and production methods (how they are made). 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height="16" alt="Search" /></button></form> </header>   <main class="main"> <nav class='p-breadcrumbs' style='visibility:hidden;height:0;'><ul class='p-breadcrumbs__list' itemscope itemtype='https://schema.org/BreadcrumbList'><li class='p-breadcrumbs__item' itemprop='itemListElement' itemscope itemtype='https://schema.org/ListItem'><a href='https://www.ajinomoto.com' class='p-breadcrumbs__link' itemprop='item'><span itemprop='name'>Home</span></a><meta itemprop='position' content='1' /></li><li class='p-breadcrumbs__item' itemprop='itemListElement' itemscope itemtype='https://schema.org/ListItem'><a href='https://www.ajinomoto.com/amino-acids' class='p-breadcrumbs__link' itemprop='item'><span itemprop='name'>Amino Acids</span></a><meta itemprop='position' content='2' /></li><li class='p-breadcrumbs__item' itemprop='itemListElement' itemscope itemtype='https://schema.org/ListItem'><span class='p-breadcrumbs__link' itemprop='name'>Amino Acids Explained</span><meta itemprop='position' content='3' /></li></ul></nav> <div class="p-hero"> <div class="p-hero__body container"> <h1 class="p-hero__title">Amino Acids Explained</h1> <div class="p-hero__text c-text"> <p>Amino acids are the source of life, essential for all living things on Earth. <br /> They support the fundamentals of healthy living, such as eating, sleeping, and exercising.</p> </div> </div> <figure class="p-hero__figure"> <picture> <source srcset="https://www.ajinomoto.com/cms_wp_ajnmt_global/wp-content/uploads/jpg/amino_acids_explained_hero_sp.jpg" media="(max-width:767px)" class="p-hero__figure-image" /> <img src="https://www.ajinomoto.com/cms_wp_ajnmt_global/wp-content/uploads/jpg/amino_acids_explained_hero_pc-1920x910.jpg" width="1920" height="910" alt="" class="p-hero__figure-image" decoding="async" /> </picture> </figure> </div> <nav class="aminoacids-nav"> <div class="container aminoacids-nav__list"> <a href="https://www.ajinomoto.com/amino-acids" class="aminoacids-nav__item ">Top</a> <a href="https://www.ajinomoto.com/amino-acids/cat/about" class="aminoacids-nav__item is-current">Amino Acids Explained</a> <a href="https://www.ajinomoto.com/amino-acids/cat/life" class="aminoacids-nav__item ">Amino Acids in Our Lives</a> <a href="https://www.ajinomoto.com/amino-acids/cat/sustainability" class="aminoacids-nav__item ">Amino Acids and Sustainability</a> <a href="https://www.ajinomoto.com/amino-acids/cat/power" class="aminoacids-nav__item ">The Power of Amino Acids</a> <a href="https://www.ajinomoto.com/amino-acids/cat/video" class="aminoacids-nav__item aminoacids-nav__item--gray">Amino Acids Videos</a> </div> </nav> <div class="container u-mb-wide u-mt-wide"> <div class="row"> <div class="col-24 col-8-md"> <div class="p-card"> <a class="p-card__head" href="https://www.ajinomoto.com/amino-acids/what-are-amino-acids"> <figure class="p-card__figure" role="group"> <img src="https://www.ajinomoto.com/cms_wp_ajnmt_global/wp-content/uploads/page/jpg/amino_acids_07.jpg" width="750" height="424" alt="" loading="lazy" /> </figure> <p class="p-card__title c-link--">What Are Amino Acids?</p> </a> <div class="p-card__body"> <p>Amino acids are building blocks of protein which play an important role of supporting many functions in our body.</p> </div> </div> </div> <div class="col-24 col-8-md"> <div class="p-card"> <a class="p-card__head" href="https://www.ajinomoto.com/amino-acids/20-amino-acids"> <figure class="p-card__figure" role="group"> <img src="https://www.ajinomoto.com/cms_wp_ajnmt_global/wp-content/uploads/aminoacids/jpg/20-Amino-Acids-that-Make-Up-Proteins.jpg" width="750" height="424" alt="" loading="lazy" /> </figure> <p class="p-card__title c-link--">20 Amino Acids that Make Up Proteins</p> </a> <div class="p-card__body"> <p>Just 20 amino acids make up the proteins found in the human body. </p> </div> </div> </div> <div class="col-24 col-8-md"> <div class="p-card"> <a class="p-card__head" href="https://www.ajinomoto.com/amino-acids/how-amino-acids-are-made"> <figure class="p-card__figure" role="group"> <img src="https://www.ajinomoto.com/cms_wp_ajnmt_global/wp-content/uploads/page/jpg/energy_bio_cycle_in_vietnam-854x480.jpg" width="854" height="480" alt="" loading="lazy" /> </figure> <p class="p-card__title c-link--">How Amino Acids are Made</p> </a> <div class="p-card__body"> <p>Learn more about the various ways in which amino acids are made.</p> </div> </div> </div> <div class="col-24 col-8-md"> <div class="p-card"> <a class="p-card__head" href="https://www.ajinomoto.com/amino-acids/amino-acid-glossary"> <figure class="p-card__figure" role="group"> <img src="https://www.ajinomoto.com/cms_wp_ajnmt_global/wp-content/uploads/page/jpg/umami_global_07-1-854x480.jpg" width="854" height="480" alt="" loading="lazy" /> </figure> <p class="p-card__title c-link--">Glossary of Amino Acids</p> </a> <div class="p-card__body"> <p>This glossary will help you understand everything about amino acids.</p> </div> </div> </div> <div class="col-24 col-8-md"> <div class="p-card"> <a class="p-card__head" href="https://www.ajinomoto.com/amino-acids/amino-acid-faq"> <figure class="p-card__figure" role="group"> <img src="https://www.ajinomoto.com/cms_wp_ajnmt_global/wp-content/uploads/aminoacids/jpg/Amino-Acid-FAQ.jpg" width="750" height="424" alt="" loading="lazy" /> </figure> <p class="p-card__title c-link--">FAQs About Amino Acids</p> </a> <div class="p-card__body"> <p>General questions about amino acids. </p> </div> </div> </div> <div class="col-24 col-8-md"> <div class="p-card"> <a class="p-card__head" href="https://www.ajinomoto.com/amino-acids/what-are-l-d-and-dl-amino-acids"> <figure class="p-card__figure" role="group"> <img src="https://www.ajinomoto.com/cms_wp_ajnmt_global/wp-content/uploads/aminoacids/jpg/What-are-L-D-and-DL-Amino-Acids.jpg" width="750" height="424" alt="" loading="lazy" /> </figure> <p class="p-card__title c-link--">What Are L-, D-, and DL-Amino Acids?</p> </a> <div class="p-card__body"> <p>Learn about the chemical structures of amino acids.</p> </div> </div> </div> <div class="col-24 col-8-md"> <div class="p-card"> <a class="p-card__head" href="https://www.ajinomoto.com/amino-acids/how-the-sequencing-of-amino-acids-in-insulin-revealed-the-structure-of-proteins"> <figure class="p-card__figure" role="group"> <img src="https://www.ajinomoto.com/cms_wp_ajnmt_global/wp-content/uploads/aminoacids/jpg/Insulin_main_thum.jpg" width="750" height="424" alt="" loading="lazy" /> </figure> <p class="p-card__title c-link--">How the Sequencing of Amino Acids in Insulin Revealed the Structure of Proteins</p> </a> <div class="p-card__body"> <p>Proteins, together with carbohydrates and fats, are one of the three principal classes of macronutrients, compounds our bodies need in large amounts to function optimally.</p> </div> </div> </div> </div>  </div>  <nav class="aminoacids-nav"> <div class="container aminoacids-nav__list"> <a 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