(OrganicJar) L-Cystine or Cystine or Cysteine is a (non-essential) amino acid that’s found in proteins. It’s a common dough conditioner and flavor enhancer in human and pet foods. You’ll find it in everything from pizza to MCDonald’s hamburgers. It is derived from Chinese duck feathers approximately 80% of the time, the other 20% is human hair.

L-cysteine can be manufactured synthetically either through a microbial fermentation process using corn sugar as the growth medium or a biochemical transformation brought about by non-animal enzymes. However Since both forms are expensive, they are not commonly used.

Why this is bad to consume:

When we consume cystine, our body makes another amino acid called homocysteine. Studies have shown that too much homocysteine in the blood relates to a higher risk of heart disease, stroke and vascular disease. Heart disease is now believed much more closely linked to high levels of homocysteine than high levels of cholesterol.

Homocysteine levels are strongly influenced by diet. Which is why a diet of processed foods is not healthy. However in today’s society it’s tough to ‘not’ eat processed foods, so to counter act the homocysteine you need to make sure you get enough folic acid, vitamins B6 and B12 in your diet. These will help break down homocysteine in the body. Foods high in folic acid and B12 include green, leafy vegetables and grains. Foods high in B6 are tuna and bananas.

Source: americanheart.org

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