Header for print stylesheet
You are here:    

Aquaculture: Folic Acid
Properties

Folates form a wide range of chemical compounds that all exhibit folic acid functions. All folates have three distinct, structurally different compounds: a pteridine nucleus, a para-aminobenzoic acid residue, and at least one molecule of glutamic acid (Illus. 1). The chemical name of the monoglutamate form is pteroylmonoglutamate. Polyglutamates are formed by peptide bond linkages of additional glutamic acid molecules.
Illustration 1

Polyglutamates represent the biologically inactive storage form of the vitamin in both plant and animal tissue. The number of attached glutamates usually varies from four to eight. Only by their transformation to the monoglutamate can the metabolically active form, tetrahydrofolic acid, be derived.

 
references

view references

footer for print stylesheet