One of the non-essential amino acids, occurring in most food proteins — a simple, mildly sweet-tasting building block central to the glucose-alanine cycle that shuttles energy between muscle and liver. As proteins break down during ripening, fermentation and cooking, freed alanine contributes to the savoury-sweet background of broths, cheeses and cured meats. It is among the most common amino acid residues in proteins, so its behaviour underpins protein nutrition calculations and flavour chemistry alike. Unremarkable alone, indispensable in aggregate — the quiet workhorse of amino acids.