Comment · Sun, March 25, 2018 · Ceretropic & Nootropics Depot
Suntheanine vs theanine
Original post in this thread
sparkythedawg176 · 18 points
I have noticed a difference between suntheanine and theanine effects. Theanine seems more foggy than suntheanine brand. I was curious as to what exactly caused this? The reason I care is that bulk theanine costs much cheaper than suntheanine
My options are either pay a fine dollar for suntheanine or switch to theanine for more foggy and less clarity or just use suntheanine but use it less
What they were answering
matznerd · 8 points
There is a significant difference between Suntheanine and any other "L-theanine" claiming to be L-theanine. There is no efficient synthesis to make theanine synthetically in a lab and not have D-theanine in the mix. Suntheanine is made in a patented 6-month fermentation process with modified E. coli bacteria that yields the only 100% pure L-theanine available. Studies on purity have shown all other tested versions to be the racemic mix, and it definitely does make a difference because the D-theanine basically takes the slot an L-theanine would go in, but is inactive source. On mobile now, but check this study.
And it can't be determined if "L-theanine" is actually the L with hplc. As mentioned in the linked studies, and undisputed by anyone thus far: "A simple HPLC purity test will not show the chirality, atmospheric pressure chemical ionization mass spectrometry (APCI-MS) is required."
I will edit and buy gold for any supplier with non-Suntheanine "L-theanine" who can show that test and prove they aren't actually selling inferior, racemic DL-theanine.
u/MisterYouAreSoDumb · Ceretropic & Nootropics Depot
You keep harping on this, but it's just not true...
Suntheanine (Taiyokagaku Co.) owns a single patent to make enantiopure L-theanine using fermentation. Other Chinese researchers have different patents for other syntheses that create enantiopure L-Theanine. Here is another. Here is a synthetic purification process in another Chinese patent. The way Suntheanine overmarkets their shit, you'd think they have the only patent to make it enantiopure. That's far from the case. Nobody sells racemic theanine anymore. Suntheanine is the same as ours.
To prove this, we purchased a polarimeter for our lab last year. We run our amino acids that are supposed to be enantiopure through the polarimeter to test their optical rotation every batch. We only sell the optically pure L-form.
Here is Suntheanine's own spec sheet: http://www.suntheanine.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/07/ST-Data-Sheet-2014.pdf
Specific Rotation +7.7 ̊ - +8.5 ̊
Here is the scan of our L-theanine: https://imgur.com/a/OHXK2
Specific rotation of our L-theanine: 7.980 ̊. That's just the pic I already had from way back. I could get you updated ones as well, you know... since we actually have the equipment to test this stuff. Have you ever tested the Suntheanine you get in for optical purity, or do you just trust the manufacturer? That's rhetorical. I already know the answer is no. So please STOP misleading people with false information. I realize you need something to grasp onto to try and justify paying more for the same thing, but your information is not only false, it borders on libelous. You're literally calling every other vendor's L-theanine inferior, with ZERO data to back that claim up. You'd be wise to cease doing so. Save the gold. Use it to pay for the cost difference for your theanine.