Chelsie Mesa
Section 0479
Robin Cotter Introduction The purpose of this experiment is to identify three unknown enzymes. This is done by using different temperature and pH to affect the function of the enzyme, which ultimately, will affect how much maltose is produced.
Enzymes are proteins that help catalyze chemical reactions. In enzymatic reactions, the molecules at the beginning of the process are called substrates, and the enzyme converts them into different molecules, the products. Enzymes are extremely selective for their substrates and speed up only a few reactions from among many possibilities (Encarta, 2007). Activity is affected by temperature, chemical environment …show more content…
Enzyme B produced the most maltose at a high temperature (100 ºC) and an acidic pH.
Enzyme C produced the most maltose at 37 ºC (body temperature) and a pH of 7 (neutral).
Conclusion
In a prior lab, it was given that the enzyme Aspergillus oryzae (fungus) works best at warm temperatures and an acidic pH, porcine (pig) works best at body temperature (37 ºC) and …show more content…
With this information and the results of the lab tests, it is apparent that enzyme A is
Aspergillus oryzae (fungus), enzyme B is Bacillus licheniformis (bacteria), and enzyme C is porcine (pig). This experiment shows how enzyme function can be affected by concentration, temperature, and pH. The function of this particular enzyme is to breakdown starch and produce maltose. Each alpha-amylase functions best at an optimal temperature and pH, producing a larger amount of maltose in their preferred environment. This was a good way of identifying the unknown enzymes because temperature and pH are major factors in changing an enzymes shape/structure, which ultimately affects the enzyme’s function.
References
Bacterial Alpha Amylase [Internet]. c2006. India: Advanced Enzyme Technologies Ltd; [cited 2008 Mar 5]. Available from: http://www.enzymeindia.com/enzymes/bacterial-alpha.asp
Structure and Function of an Enzyme [Internet]. c2007. Encarta. Microsoft Corporation; [cited 2008 Mar 5]. Available from: http://encarta.msn.com/media_461517494/structure_