Taurine – indispensable nutrition
Taurine is an amino acid converted from sulfur containing amino acids. Taurine is widely distributed in various tissues and organs in the body, and mainly exists in the interstitial fluid and intracellular fluid in a free state. It was first found in bull bile and got its name. However, it has long been considered as a non functional metabolite of sulfur containing amino acids. Taurine is a sulfur-containing amino acid in animals, but it is not a component of protein. Taurine is widely distributed in the human and animal brain, heart, liver, kidney, ovary, uterus, skeletal muscle, blood, saliva and milk in the form of free amino acid, with the highest concentration in pineal gland, retina, pituitary, adrenal gland and other tissues.

图片1.png

Taurine is widely used, among which the most important applications are medicine, food additives and organic synthesis intermediates.

1. Medicine

Taurine has anti-inflammatory, antipyretic, analgesic, sedative, hypotensive, hypoglycemic, antiarrhythmic, antibacterial, antiplatelet aggregation, immune enhancement, cholagogic, liver strengthening, interpretation, regulation of vascular tension and other effects, and has many clinical uses. It can be used to treat acute and chronic hepatitis, fatty liver, cholecystitis, bronchitis, tonsillitis, acute conjunctivitis, herpetic and viral conjunctivitis; It is also used for quality cold, fever, epilepsy, infantile spasm, heart failure, arrhythmia, hypertension, uterine bleeding, arteriosclerosis, acne, etc. As a drug, taurine has been widely used in China and Japan.

图片2.png

2. Food additives

Taurine is an essential amino acid for humans and animals. The lack of taurine in children may lead to stunting, visual impairment, susceptibility to positive epilepsy, and even cardiomyopathy; The lack of taurine in adults also endangers their health. As an excellent food additive, taurine has been widely used in Europe, America, Japan and other developed countries. In order to ensure the healthy growth of infants and young children, the United States, Japan and other countries have clearly stipulated that the content of taurine in infant dairy products should not be less than 0.16mg/100mL. Taurine was added to a nutritional supplement sold in Japan as early as the 1970s. They also mix it in beverages, complex MSG, soy products and dairy products. In Japan, children’s food cannot be marketed without adding taurine. In the United States, Japan and other countries, 99% of taurine is used as food additive. China started late in this regard. Since 1990, taurine has been allowed to be added to dairy products, beverages and compound condiments as a nutritional food additive, with the allowable amount of 30-40 mg/kg. In recent years, various functional drinks and nutritional health products emerging on the market contain an appropriate amount of taurine. The research shows that the nutritional value of milk and milk powder can be close to that of breast milk when added with proper amount of taurine. Taurine can be used as a high-quality additive for food and drink of pilots, astronauts, athletes, etc., to strengthen the body and relieve fatigue. In addition, taurine, as a feed additive, can be added to animal feed to prevent fish diseases and make the eyes of cats, dogs and other pets brighter.

3. Organic synthesis intermediate

It is applied to the synthesis of fluorescent whitening agent. For example, the introduction of aminoethanesulfonic acid group into the stilbene ditriazine fluorescent whitening agent can improve the water solubility of the whitening agent and enhance the washing and whitening effects. This kind of whitening agent is mainly used for whitening of paper making, cellulose fiber and polyamide fiber. In addition, it can also reduce the reaction between taurine and polyacrylamide to support the functional polymer flocculant N-taurine polyacrylamide for the gypsum separation process of wet process phosphoric acid. Because it can control gypsum crystal form and reduce the viscosity of phosphoric acid during gypsum formation, the filtering speed can be adjusted to increase the filtering efficiency. Taurine can also be used in the preparation of reactive dyes and the synthesis of other organic compounds.

Taurine goes deep into all aspects of our lives. However, experts estimate that the current demand for taurine in China is about 5000 tons, that is, less than 4 grams per capita per year, which is far lower than 50 grams per year in developed countries such as Europe, the United States and Japan. Therefore, the development of taurine in China is bound to become a trend. Taurine, as a star product in the field of food, will also play its own value with the increase of demand. Jiahua Chemical provides taurine products and supporting technical services for the global market.