What Are Amino Acids

An amino acid is a type of organic acid that contains an acid functional group and an amine functional group on adjacent carbon atoms. Amino acids are considered to be the building blocks of proteins.

An essential amino acid is an amino acid, which an organism needs to ingest because it is necessary for nutrition and cannot be synthesized in the body.

Non-essential amino acid is any of various alpha-amino acids which are required for normal health and growth, which can be synthesized within the body or derived in the body from essential amino acids.