Peptone

2 definitions found

From The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48 [gcide]:

  Peptone \Pep"tone\, n. [Gr. pepto`s cooked.] (Physiol. Chem.)
     (a) The soluble polypeptides produced by hydrolysis of
         protein; specifically the soluble peptides into which
         food is transformed by the action of the gastric and
         pancreatic juices. Peptones are also formed from protein
         matter by the action of boiling water and boiling dilute


         acids.
     (b) Collectively, in a broader sense, all the products
         resulting from the solution of proteinaceous matter in
         either gastric or pancreatic juice. In this case,
         however, intermediate products (albumose bodies), such as
         antialbumose, hemialbumose, etc., are mixed with the true
         peptones. Also termed albuminose.
         [1913 Webster + PJC]
  
     Note: Pure peptones are of three kinds, amphopeptone,
           antipeptone, and hemipeptone, and, unlike most
           proteins, are not precipitated by saturating their
           solutions with ammonium sulphate.
           [1913 Webster]

From WordNet (r) 2.0 [wn]:

  peptone
       n : any of various water-soluble compounds that form by
           hydrolysis in the digestion of proteins to amino acids