Peptone

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. A soluble mixture of amino acids and small peptides produced by partial digestion of proteins, commonly used as a nutrient source in microbial growth media
2. A partially hydrolyzed protein product containing peptides and amino acids that serves as a nitrogen source in laboratory culture broths and agar preparations
3. A nutritive substance derived from protein breakdown consisting of peptides and free amino acids, employed as a standard ingredient in bacteriological and fermentation media

Etymology: Peptone is a word built from a Greek verb for cooking and digesting. The Ancient Greek "peptós" meant "cooked" or "digested," and it came from "péptō," which meant "soften, ripen, boil, cook, bake, or digest." The idea behind the name is that food has been broken down into something easier to absorb, which is exactly what peptones are in the body. The word reached English through German. German chemists coined "Pepton" for the soluble products formed when proteins are broken down by digestion, and English borrowed that term directly. Its use in English is therefore a scientific borrowing rather than a word that moved through everyday speech.

Synonyms: hydrolysate