At K-State, one of my favorite classes to teach is Fundamentals of Nutrition. This class is required by all students majoring in animal science and requires at least one college-level prerequisite course in chemistry. I love teaching it because the course is usually the first class that students begin to connect fundamental sciences, like chemistry and physics, with their area of interest, like animal health. The content is heavy on chemical structures and metabolic cycles, so it can be dry if not taught in a manner that is interesting and relevant to students.
Like most of the generations of faculty before me, I describe amino acids as the “building blocks” of proteins. If you don’t have the right building blocks, your resultant structure cannot be built. Likewise, if the required amino acid is not available when needed, protein synthesis cannot occur. Even with this example, students can sometimes get lost in the theoretical explanation of protein metabolism, especially when challenged to describe when a limiting amino acid may be considered a hazard in animal diets. To help them better visualize and retain this concept, I use a more elaborate example. Recently, one of my former students employed in the pet food industry asked that I include the explanation in this column — so Trevor, this is for you.
