The Importance of Enzymes in Human Metabolism Essay

Temperature controls the speed the enzymes work at. Higher temperatures increase the kinetic energy which increases the chance of collision therefore speeding up the rate of

These results shown from this experiment led us to conclude that enzymes work best at certain pH rates. For this particular enzyme, pH 7 worked best. When compared to high levels of pH, the lower levels worked better. The wrong level of pH can denature enzymes; therefore finding the right level is essential. The independent variable was the amount of pH, and the dependent being the rate of oxygen. The results are reliable as they are reinforced by the fact that enzymes typically work best at neutral pH

There is another digestive enzyme (other than salivary amylase) that is secreted by the salivary glands. Research to determine what this enzyme is called. What substrate does it act on? Where in the body does it become activated, and why?

A polysaccharide is when a numerous amounts of monosaccharides are joined together forming a molecule. Both glycogen and starch are polysaccharides. Glycogen is a energy storage carbohydrate found in animals. Glycogen in comparison to starch is much more highly branched. Starch is a polysaccharide that functions as a energy carbohydrate store in plants. This can be found mostly in potatoes and cereals. It is formed by the bonding together of many of glucose subunits into long chains. The actions of hydrolysis is the chemical breakdown of a compound due to the reaction of water. In order for hydrolysis to occur water must be added to the compound

The motive of this lab is to attain a better understanding of enzyme activity by timing chemical reactions in certain temperatures and pH levels. Enzymes act as catalysts that help speed up reactions. Without these enzymes chemical reactions in metabolism would be backed up. There are two factors that affect an enzyme’s reaction rate: temperature and pH levels. In this label we will be testing different pH levels and temperatures to see which ones cause the most reactions.

J. Moldovan & B. Nilson, (2010), Lab 4 – Enzyme Kinetics, UBCO BIOL/BIOC 393, UBC Vista accessed Monday, November 8th, 2010.

Enzymes are biological catalysts. They work by lowering the activation energy needed to initiate a chemical reaction. Enzymes work within an optimal temperature and optimal pH. Enzymes are highly specific for a single substrate. The Enzyme is usually much larger in size than the substrate it binds to. In some cases, an enzyme requires something called a cofactor to begin the chemical reaction. There were four different experiments that were executed in the enzyme lab. Experiment 7.1, the first experiment, was performed to test the effect of temperature on enzymatic

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).

The rate of enzyme activity is important to living things. Enzymes are organic catalysts that help facilitate chemical reactions in the human body. According to Cooper (1970), these catalysts are crucial for metabolic pathway inside the body, digestion, respiration, and many important life processes. Homeostasis is maintained when enzymes function

“Enzymes are proteins that have catalytic functions” [1], “that speed up or slow down reactions”[2], “indispensable to maintenance and activity of life”[1]. They are each very specific, and will only work when a particular substrate fits in their active site. An active site is “a region on the surface of an enzyme where the substrate binds, and where the reaction occurs”[2].

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.

Enzymes are very specific in nature, which helps them in reactions. When an enzyme recognizes its specific substrate, the

Amylase is an enzyme that is located in human saliva. It is solely accountable for breaking down starch as a way to start the breakdown of food and is one of the first steps of digestion. The time at which the enzyme starts the chemical reaction with starch is called the reaction rate. In order to study how amylase works against starch, this experiment consisted of two tests; each testing a different condition of amylase. The first test was to simply study the reaction between saliva and amylase and note the reaction rates. The second test was to see if increasing the pH would decrease the reaction rate or halt it all together. Saliva was collected, diluted, and tested for reactions between starch and amylase. Another sample of saliva was collected, diluted, and had its pH increased and tested for reaction rate. The findings after the experiment was conducted aligned with the original hypothesis. The change in pH did show a significant decrease in the reaction rate.

Starch or amylum is a carbohydrate consisting of a large number of glucose units joined by glycosidic bonds. This polysaccharide is produced by all green plants as an energy store. It is the most common carbohydrate in the human diet and is contained in large amounts in such staple foods as potatoes, wheat, maize (corn), rice, and cassava.