asparagine
The first amino acid to be isolated was asparagine in 1806. It was obtained from protein found in asparagus juice hence the name . Glycine, the major amino acid found in gelatin, was named for its sweet taste Greek glykys, meaning sweet . In some cases an amino acid found in a protein is actually a derivative of one of the common 20 amino acids one such derivative is hydroxyproline . The modification occurs after the amino acid has been assembled into a protein.