Fungal Amylase And Human Amylase

Enzymes speed up metabolic reactions necessary for life. Without them certain vital processes would not take place and the body would be unable to function.

There are many types of enzymes and each has a specific job. Enzymes are particular types of proteins that help to speed up some reactions, such as reactants going to products. One of them is the amylase enzyme. Amylases are found in saliva, and pancreatic secretions of the small intestine. The function of amylase is to break down big molecules of starch into small molecules like glucose; this process is called hydrolysis. Enzymes are very specific; for example, amylase is the only enzyme that will break down starch. It is similar to the theory of the lock

The results obtained by students of the Biology department of UGA correlated with that of the Mayo Clinic study; amylase may be slowed, but it takes a great dosage of bean extract to really get the job done and see results. From the graph, we can see that the Carb Cutter

1) Amylase is utilized to break down starch molecules into more simple sugars for use by the body. It performs this function by hydrolyzing glycosidic linkages in the polysaccharide chain.

Enzymes are a very important to the biological process. Enzymes help break down food and are essential in helping convert that food to energy. Enzymes have a single function, which makes them unique and need specific conditions in order for the reaction to occur. Every function in an organism has its own unique enzyme (What are enzymes?). One important thing to know about enzymes is that they are proteins. According to rsc.org enzymes are efficient catalysts for biochemical reactions and they, “speed up reactions by providing an alternative reaction pathway of lower activation energy” (Enzymes).

specific enzyme (Knowles, 1991). One part of the enzyme, salivary amylase, is that alpha amylase is in the saliva of most animals because this enzyme breaks down starch (Jacobsen, Melvaer, Hensten- Pettersen, 1972). In the presence of starch, this enzyme is present in saliva, but is not present when there is no starch present (Jacobsen, Melvaer, Hensten- Pettersen, 1972). The conditions for salivary amylase to have a reaction with starch would change in temperature and enzyme concentration, as well as, monitoring the pH levels (Jacobsen, Melvaer, Hensten- Pettersen, 1972). Salivary amylase is an enzyme is human saliva that helps in digestion of specific substrates, such as starch (Hudman, Friend, Hartman, Ashton, Catron, 1957). It breaks down starch molecules by splitting maltose from the non-reducing end of a gluten molecule (Jacobsen, Melvaer, Hensten-Pettersen, 1972).

In this lab experiment the action of the enzyme Amylase was observed on starch (the substrate). Amylase changed the starch into a simpler form, the sugar maltose, which is soluble in water. Maltose then breaks down the glucose chains of starch in the pancreas and intestines. Amylase is present in human saliva, and begins to act on the starch in the food while still in the mouth. Exposure to heat or extreme PH (acid or base) will denature proteins. Enzymes, including amylase, are proteins; if denatured enzymes can no longer act as a catalyst for the reaction. In the presence of potassium iodide, starch turns a dark purple color; however maltose does not react with I2KI. The rate of fading of starch allows a quantitative measurement of reaction rate.

Enzymes are biological catalysts, which accelerate the speed of chemical reactions in the body without being used up or changed in the process. Animals and plants contain enzymes which help break down fats, carbohydrates and proteins into smaller molecules the cells can use to get energy and carry out the processes that allow the plant or animal to survive. Without enzymes, most physiological processes would not take place. Hundreds of different types of enzymes are present in plant and animal cells and each is very specific in its function.

Enzymes are a key aspect in our everyday life and are a key to sustaining life. They are biological catalysts that help speed up the rate of reactions. They do this by lowering the activation energy of chemical reactions (Biology Department, 2011).

Amylase is a digestive enzyme. The enzyme is found in the salivary glands in your mouth and cells in your

To test enzyme activity, an experiment was conducted in the laboratory. In this experiment, the enzyme Amylase was chosen because it assists disassemble the polysaccharide starch. Starch is the main energy storage in plants. Human cells need the energy of stored in the starch to be introduced in the form of Maltose. Maltose is a simple sugar that can be used to generate the energy needed to power cellular work

Enzymes are central to every biochemical process. Due to their high specificity they are capable of catalyzing hundreds of reactions that signifies their vast practical importance.

In this lab our group observed the role of pancreatic amylase in the digestion of starch and the optimum temperature and pH that affects this enzyme. Enzymes are located inside of cells that increase the rate of a chemical reaction (Cooper, 2000). Most enzymes function in a narrow range of pH between 5 through 9 (Won-Park, Zipp, 2000). The temperature for which enzymes can function is limited as well ranging from 0 degrees Celsius (melting point) to 100 degrees Celsius (boiling point)(Won-Park, Zipp, 2000). When the temperature varies in range it can affect the enzyme either by affecting the constant of the reaction rate or by thermal denturization of the particular enzyme (Won-Park, Zipp, 2000). In this lab in particular the enzyme, which was of concern, was pancreatic amylase. This type of amylase comes from and is secreted from the pancreas to digest starch to break it down into a more simple form called maltose. Maltose is a disaccharide composed of two monosaccharides of glucose. The presence of glucose in our experiment can be identified by Benedicts solution, which shows that the reducing of sugars has taken place. If positive the solution will turn into a murky reddish color, where if it is negative it will stay clear in our reaction. We can also test if no reduction of sugars takes place by an iodine test. If starch is present the test will show a dark black color (Ophardt, 2003).

The objective of this lab was to assess the effect that temperature and pH had on pancreatic amylase. Amylase is an enzyme involved in digestion and is secreted by both the pancreas and salivary glands (Pandol, 2010). Both salivary and pancreatic amylase display the same enzymatic activities through their role in the digestion of starch (Pandol, 2010). The goal of both salivary and pancreatic amylase is to hydrolyze starch thus breaking down the polysaccharide into a disaccharide such as maltose (Pandol, 2010). As a result, amylase breaks down these sugars making them more easily absorbed in the body during digestion (Pancreatic Cancer Action Network, 2015). Through this lab we learned about the role of pancreatic amylase and how this enzyme operates under certain conditions.

Numerous enzymes are needed in dough to break down starch into simple sugars that yeast can digest. The process is a very complex one, and includes the enzymes alpha amylase and beta amylase. Starch occurs in two different forms, a branched form called amylopectin and an unbranched chain called amylose.