The Catalytic Role of L-Aspartic Acid, L-Lysine, Glutamate, L-Alanine, and L-Valine in Organic Reactions
267–299
چکیده
L-aspartic acid is a nonessential α-amino acid, meaning it can be synthesized from central metabolic pathway intermediates in humans. L-aspartic acid is found in natural sources such as luncheon meats, sausage meat, wild game, sprouting seeds, oat flakes, avocados, asparagus, young sugarcane, and molasses from sugar beets. One of the most important uses of this amino acid is in dietary supplements, either aspartic acid itself or its salts. Aspartic acid has wide applications in the food, beverage, pharmaceutical, cosmetic, green catalysts, and agricultural industries. L-lysine is one of the nine essential amino acids and is important for human and animal growth. This amino acid cannot be produced by animals and humans and must therefore be available in animal feed to meet the nutritional requirements and to ensure a balanced diet. Glutamate, one of the most common amino acids found in nature, is present in many proteins and peptides and most tissues. Glutamate is also produced in the body and binds with other amino acids to form a structural protein. Moreover, L-glutamate, or its modified form, was recently reported as a catalyst for organic reactions. Alanine is an α-amino acid that is used in the biosynthesis of proteins. The crystalline form of this molecule is currently in high demand in the chemical, pharmaceuticals, and food industries. Alanine can be produced from pyruvate and branched chains such as valine, leucine, and isoleucine. Industrial production of L - alanine is using decarboxylation of L-aspartate by the action of aspartate 4-decarboxylase. L-alanine is generally used as a catalyst for organic reactions. L-valine is an essential amino acid for vertebrates which have applications in a wide range of fields, such as feed additive, and is a component of infusion solutions and cosmetics. It is also an important precursor in the chemical synthesis of herbicides. L-valine is largely produced through microbial fermentation. Microbial production of l-valine has been performed using various industrial microorganisms, including Brevibacterium flavum , Escherichia coli , and Corynebacterium glutamicum . L-valine is employed as a catalyst in organic reactions. This chapter provides an overview of the application of L-aspartic acid, L-lysine, glutamate, L-alanine, and L-valine in organic reactions.