proteiche

Proteiche is the feminine plural form of the Italian adjective proteico, used to describe substances that are protein-based or protein-like. In English, the closest terms are proteinaceous or proteic. The word appears in scientific, nutritional, and pharmaceutical contexts to indicate that proteins are the primary constituents or defining features of a material.

In nutrition and food science, proteiche foods are those rich in protein, such as meat, fish, eggs, dairy products, legumes, and certain grains. In biochemistry and biomaterials, proteiche materials refer to proteins or protein-derived networks, including enzymes, collagen, gelatin, casein, keratin, and protein-based polymers like silk fibroin. Their properties depend on the amino-acid composition, structure, and interactions with water, salts, and other molecules, and they can be soluble or form gels and fibers.

The term is largely linguistic and descriptive. When translating into English, researchers typically use proteinaceous or proteic rather than proteiche. In Italian texts, proteiche correctly modifies feminine plural nouns, as in sostanze proteiche (protein substances) or fonti proteiche (protein sources). The concept encompasses a broad range of materials, from simple protein solutions to complex, crosslinked protein networks, and it is widely used across biology, nutrition, medicine, and materials science to highlight the protein content or character of a material.