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Product details

About The Taurine

I. Basic information

Chemical name: taurine, chemical name is 2-aminoethanesulfonic acid, English name “Taurine”, molecular formula is C₂H₇NO₃S, relative molecular mass is 125.15, CAS registration number is 107-35-7.

Structural characteristics: Its molecular structure is relatively simple, consisting of an amino group (-NH₂), a sulfonic acid group (-SO₃H) and an ethyl chain (-CH₂CH₂-). This unique structure makes it have some chemical properties of amino groups, and it is different from ordinary amino acids due to the presence of sulfonic acid groups, showing unique properties and functions in the physiological environment.

II. Physical and chemical properties

Appearance: white crystals or crystalline powder, odorless, slightly sour taste.

Solubility: easily soluble in water, almost insoluble in organic solvents such as ethanol and ether, its good water solubility enables it to fully play a role in various body fluid environments in organisms.

Stability: Taurine is chemically stable and is not prone to decomposition or other deterioration under normal storage conditions, but it will undergo corresponding chemical reactions under extreme conditions such as strong acid and alkali.

Isoelectric point: Due to the strong acidity of the sulfonic acid group, taurine exists in ion form in a wide pH range and does not have a typical isoelectric point phenomenon, which is different from ordinary amino acids.

III. Source

Natural source: It is widely present in various tissues and organs of animals, especially in the heart, liver, brain, retina and other parts of mammals. It is also present in seafood (such as shellfish, shrimp, fish, etc.), meat, milk and other daily foods. It is a sulfur-containing amino acid substance that the human body can naturally ingest through diet.

Human synthesis: The human body can also synthesize taurine, mainly through the cysteine ​​pathway, but under certain special physiological conditions (such as infancy, disease state, etc.), the amount of self-synthesis may not be enough to meet the body’s needs, and additional supplementation from external food is required.

Industrial production: In industry, taurine is often produced by chemical synthesis, such as using ethanolamine as raw material, and preparing it through multiple chemical reactions such as sulfonation and amination. It can also be produced by microbial fermentation. By screening suitable microbial strains, the corresponding substrate is converted into taurine under suitable fermentation conditions, and then a high-purity product is obtained through separation and purification.

IV. Physiological function

Effect on the cardiovascular system: It helps to maintain normal heart function, can regulate the electrophysiological characteristics such as excitability and autonomy of myocardial cells, and reduce the risk of arrhythmia; at the same time, it can also regulate vascular tension and have a certain regulatory effect on blood pressure, which helps to maintain the health and stability of the cardiovascular system.

Effect on the nervous system: It plays an important role in the development of the brain, and has a positive impact on the normal development of brain function and the improvement of cognitive ability of infants and young children; in the adult stage, it also participates in the regulation of neurotransmitters, such as the regulation of the inhibitory neurotransmitter γ-aminobutyric acid (GABA), which helps to relieve anxiety, improve sleep and other mental states.

Effect on the visual system: It is a nutrient rich in the retina, which can maintain the integrity of the retinal structure, protect retinal cells from damage, and play an important role in maintaining normal visual function, especially in dark adaptation and visual clarity.

Effect on the immune system: It can enhance the body’s immune function, improve the activity of immune cells (such as macrophages, lymphocytes, etc.), promote the secretion of immune-related cytokines, help the body better resist the invasion of external pathogens, and maintain the body’s health.

Effect on metabolic regulation: It participates in the body’s fat metabolism, sugar metabolism and other processes, such as promoting fat decomposition and metabolism, improving the body’s utilization efficiency of glucose, and has certain effects in preventing obesity and improving insulin resistance, which helps to maintain the body’s good metabolic state.

V. Application areas

Food industry: It is often used as a food additive and is widely added to functional beverages, energy bars, infant formula and other products. It is used as a nutritional enhancer to supplement taurine for the human body to meet the nutritional needs of different groups of people and improve the nutritional value of the product. For example, many functional beverages claim to add taurine to play a refreshing role.

Medical field: It has many applications in clinical treatment. It can be used to treat certain cardiovascular diseases (such as heart failure, arrhythmia, etc.), neurological diseases (such as epilepsy, neurasthenia, etc.) and ophthalmic diseases (such as retinopathy, etc.). It can improve the condition of patients by supplementing taurine through pharmaceutical preparations (such as tablets, capsules, injections, etc.) and assist in treatment.

Feed industry: Adding it to animal feed, especially aquatic animal feed (such as fish, shrimp, etc.) and pet feed, can help improve the growth performance of animals, enhance immunity, improve meat quality, promote the healthy growth of animals, and improve breeding benefits.

VI. Quality standards and testing

Strict quality standards have been formulated at home and abroad to regulate the production and use of taurine. For different uses such as food grade, pharmaceutical grade, and feed grade, detailed regulations are made on its purity, impurity content (including heavy metal impurities, organic impurities, etc.), appearance, solubility and other indicators.

Commonly used detection methods include high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC), which accurately determines the content and purity of taurine in the sample by comparing the retention time, peak area and other parameters of the chromatographic peak with those of the standard; there are also chemical analysis methods, such as using chemical means such as acid-base titration to determine the content of sulfonic acid groups and other related functional groups, and then judge the quality of taurine to ensure that its quality meets the corresponding standard requirements.