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Preserving amino acid mixtures at room temp


R_MC

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Hi all,

 

I've started dosing a custom amino acid mix via peristaltic pump. The issue is that it will be kept at room temperature. The amino acids are sure to break down in water - so I'm wondering how I might best preserve the mix while being reef friendly.

 

In my first pass I've used lugol's iodine (20 drops per 600ml). We'll see how that works out after a week.

 

I also ran across this patent which seems interesting http://www.patentsencyclopedia.com/app/20080260672mostly because the preservation method seems to require amino acids in part.

 

My current mix is:

1tbsp broad spectrum l type AA's (water soluble)

2tbsp Kent's iron and manganese

1tbsp fulvic acid

1/2tbsp l-aspartic acid

600ml of water

 

Dosing 20ml per day

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http://www.americanpharmaceuticalreview.com/Featured-Articles/38885-Antimicrobial-Preservatives-Part-Two-Choosing-a-Preservative/

 

Table of preservatives based on solution PH

 

http://classes.midlandstech.edu/carterp/Courses/bio225/chap07/lecture5.htm

 

Indicates "Iodine may combine with certain amino acids to inactivate enzymes and other cellular proteins."

 

https://www.aruplab.com/Specimen-Handling/resources/Urine%20Chart_Oct%2010.pdf

 

Suggests that adjusting the PH of the urine to 2 using HCL (which I have on hand) will help to stabilize it. The downside here is then adding the HCL to the aquarium which will reduce the alkalinity. I'm not sure if 20ml of PH2 liquid, daily, would be problematic in a 70G tank.

 

There are many fixative solutions which would surely stabilize the amino acids, but seem to all be very toxic.

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http://extension.psu.edu/food/preservation/tools/supplies/ingredients/ingredients-used-in-home-food-preservation

 

Some great info here.

 

Options that stand out to me:

  • Water Glass (Sodium Silicates) - (presumably by increasing the PH of the solution - not sure how this impacts amino acids)
  • Ascorbic Acid - I've read that this is not very stable in water, so I'm unsure of how long it will remain vitamin C. Guessing that the preservation is through acidification alone. Not sure if this will cause the amino acids to precipitate.
  • calcium chloride - might be able to use this (again will raise PH? affect solubility?) If I use calcium chloride I would probably also have to find some way to increase the alk
  • Lime water (KALK!) - again, high PH, wondering how this will impact solubility / stability of the amino acids. Seems like amino acids would react in a high PH solution.
  • Vinegar - Already dose this. Would be amazing if amino acids were soluble in vinegar. I don't think they are, but I will give this a try.

Information on the impact of solution PH on amino acids:

http://www.chemguide.co.uk/organicprops/aminoacids/acidbase.html

 

Seems that low or high PH has no lasting impact on the molecule, whether it remains soluble is another story.

 

Additionally: http://www.sigmaaldrich.com/life-science/biochemicals/biochemical-products.html?TablePage=120498734indicates several other preservatives used for proteins

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So all of the above has to do with microbial activity. The next question is about oxidation? Water is full of oxygen. Will the amino acids oxidize in the water? What does that mean?

 

Turns out iodine is an oxidant and that it bonds with the phenolic ring in tyrosine, and the heterocyclic rings in tryptophan and histidine, which all yield products of electrophilic iodination. (I have no idea what I've just said) Is this a bad thing? Not sure.

 

Is oxidation more likely to occur at high PH or low PH?

 

Too many questions.

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  • 5 years later...
Macdaddynick1

Hey there, I know this is a super old topic, but did you find the best way to preserve aminos at room temperature? I know some people use vinegar but I don’t want to dose carbon into my system. Also, I was wondering if it would be possible to mix in aminos into calcium and alk. 

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