In plants, L-shaped free amino acids play an important role in the so-called citric acid cycle, also called the Krebs cycle. This is a series of chemical reactions used by all aerobic organisms to generate energy for maintenance, growth, and production. Amino acids are converted via the Krebs cycle into glucose for energy or for storage as glycogen, starch, and fat. During times of increased stress due to drought, application of crop protection, diseases, etc., amino acids can be used to reduce stress. See image:

Amino Acids for plants: Disadvantages of chemically hydrolyzed amino acids

• Most Southern European producers, including Spain and Italy, work with residual products (collagen) from the tanneries, so it can be stated that the raw material does not come from a clean production process. If one wishes to obtain free amino acids from these collagen products, they must be chemically hydrolyzed to obtain amino acids in a free form. There is no debate about this. You must chemically treat to obtain a acceptable percentage of free amino acids. See image:

• Some companies claim to enzymatically or thermally hydrolyze collagen, but in this case, the percentage of free amino acids will be very low (which is also the reason why this is often not mentioned in analyses).
• During chemical or alkaline hydrolysis, all proteins are racemized, losing their original source material and some of their phytohormonal activity, and free amino acids in D-form also form, which can have a negative impact.
• The percentage of nitrogen does not indicate the quality of the product, but the percentage of L-alpha-amino acids and oligopeptides is relevant (the higher this % the better), as well as the absence of amino acids in D-form. Therefore, the question is what is the percentage of L-alpha-amino acids and oligopeptides, and the percentage of D-amino acids, in these products. This way, you can make an honest comparison. Always request an analysis from an independent lab.

Advantages of our enzymatically hydrolyzed amino acids

• Our amino acids are obtained through enzymatic hydrolysis, a pharmaceutical and clean process, which is strictly controlled.
• Our amino acids are obtained by enzymatic hydrolysis (no racemized proteins) where, via a natural process, proteins are broken down into L-alpha-amino acids and oligopeptides, which are plant-relevant amino acids, and during this process, no D-amino acids are formed.
• Our amino acids are not comparable to products derived from the tannery industry or made from hide scraps, because the quality of our raw material, the production process, and the relevant percentage of L-alpha-amino acids and oligopeptides are much higher, and no D-amino acids are present. Additionally, our amino acids have a high free and balanced L-amino acid pattern.

Amino acid profile contains 20 types of L-amino acids

Also called free amino acids, L-amino acids consist of various amino acid elements. All these elements together form the so-called amino acid profile. An amino acid profile consists of 20 elements. Each amino acid element has an important and specific function in plant development.

The 20 free L-shaped amino acids are; alanine, arginine, aspartic acid, cystine, glutamine, glycine, histidine, hydroxyproline, isoleucine, leucine, lysine, methionine, phenylalanine, proline, serine, taurine, threonine, tryptophan, tyrosine, valine.

The overview below clearly shows which type of L-amino acid is responsible for which function in the plant.

What happens if you use too many amino acids? Will plants then die?

Too much is never good. Too much salt causes high blood pressure, too much fat causes a heart attack, too much sun causes skin cancer, etc.

In plants, it is no different; too many fertilizers poison the soil and then the plants, too many pesticides cause damage to humans, the environment, and the plants, and too much sun results in burns and dehydration.

Biologically active amino acids (L-amino acids) are not aggressive like fertilizers or pesticides, so the chance of damage from overdose of L-amino acids is negligible.
HOWEVER...
Amino acid products can contain D-amino acids, auxiliary and/or ballast substances such as salts (especially sodium and, to a lesser extent, chloride salts), and heavy metals that can indeed cause damage.
Just as there are thousands of different wine varieties that differ in composition and quality (e.g., depending on the raw material, in this case, the quality of the grape), there are also many different amino acid products that are better or worse. To get the best out of amino acid products, it is advisable to carefully pay attention to the quality of the amino acid product.

Various amino acids on the market, with significant quality differences. Pay close attention to what you buy.

There are many amino acid products on the market that are definitely not all the same. The raw materials, excipients, additives, ballast substances, and production process vary per product. Mainly, the following applies:

Raw materials are of animal or plant origin, or a mixture of both. Most amino acid products are made from collagen-containing substances (hooves, horns, bones, skin, blood vessels, gelatin) and some from residual streams (fermentation, pharmaceutical processes). Animal products contain higher concentrations of amino acids than plant-based ones.

Amino acids from collagen are mainly obtained through chemical conversions (hydrolysis). This is necessary to break down the tough collagen material. The disadvantage of chemical hydrolysis is that many amino acids break down in the production process, resulting in a product with only a few amino acids in higher concentrations. You can identify this by creating an amino acid profile. Around 50% of D-amino acids also form during chemical hydrolysis, which are not usable by plants. Finally, the concentrations of ballast substances (heavy metals, salts) can be relatively high in chemically hydrolyzed products.

Enzymatically produced products predominantly consist of L-amino acids that can be used by plants and have a broader, more varied amino acid profile because there is no destruction of amino acids during hydrolysis.

The raw materials suitable for enzymatic hydrolysis generally contain fewer ballast substances, but some producers do add salt as a preservative or fertilizer. A simple EC measurement can indicate the salt level in a product. Amino acid products have an EC value of less than 25 mS/cm, while the EC value of a product on the market made from similar raw materials was shown to be over 185 mS/cm. The latter is more to be considered as (expensive) fertilizer rather than a pure amino acid product.

Lastly, a word about the difference between plant-based and animal-based amino acid products. There is absolutely no difference in the structure or function of the same type of amino acid from plants or animals. The societal discussion mainly concerns the production process (chemical versus enzymatic hydrolysis) and the associated risk related to the raw material (microbes, ballast substances, and prions). Non-collagen-related animal amino acid products that are enzymatically hydrolyzed and contain low levels of microbes and ballast substances are at least as safe as plant-based products. The presence of prions in animal material became known during the BSE crisis, but what is less known is that prions have also been proven in plants, soil, yeasts, and manure. Moreover, animal by-products are now subject to much stricter controls than plant-based products.

Our amino acid products are based on 100% enzymatically hydrolyzed material, from which a human medicine is first extracted. This provides an indication of the safety of our raw material. Of course, we also guarantee low levels of ballast substances and microbes.