“蛋白质”这个词最早来源于德国,德文是Eiwei(B)stoffe,Eiweiss(B)是卵白或蛋清的意思,stoff是物质。合在一起意为具有像蛋清那样的物质,就是蛋白质来源于“蛋”,而且都是“白”色的。其实,蛋白质并不只是来源于蛋,所有动、植物性食物乃至生物体都含有蛋白质;蛋白质也不都是白色的。例如,血液中的“血红蛋白”,绿色植物中的“叶绿蛋白”都是蛋白质。如今蛋白质的元素组成、化学结构已经十分清楚了,但由于蛋白质一词沿用已久,约定俗成,也就不囿于原意了。 The term “protein” originated in Germany at the earliest, with German as Eiwei (B) stoffe, Eiweiss (B) as egg white or egg white, and stoff as substance. Together, it means something like egg white, the protein is derived from “eggs,” and all are “white” in color. In fact, the protein is not just from the egg, all animal and plant foods and even organisms contain proteins; nor are all proteins white. For example, “hemoglobin” in blood and “phytochrome” in green plants are all proteins. Now the elemental composition of the protein, the chemical structure has been very clear, but the term has long been the protein, the conventional, it does not mean the original meaning.