The Digestive Enzyme Amylase

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

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).

• Enzymes are involved in processes such as the breakdown of carbohydrates and converts them into energy for the body to use.

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.

Digestion is a complicated process that uses many different processes to digest food efficiently. It is necessary for not only us but for almost every organism. A major part in digestion is pH or how acidic or basic a substance is. pH helps digestion happen, the question is for the Stentor and the Rotifers at what pH ranges does their digestion occur? We will test that by using pH indicators, and observing the digestion happen under the microscope.

2. What effect did boiling and freezing have on enzyme activity? Why? How well did the results compare with your prediction?__Boiling caused amylase to be denatured, thus inactivating the enzyme. Freezing has no effect. The function of an enzyme is directly related to its environment, like temperature.__

The purpose of this experiment was to come up with the optimal temperature of the Fungal Amylase, Aspergillus oryzae, and the Bacterial Amylase, Bacillus liceniformis, as well as to identify if different temperatures would indeed affect the enzyme amylase by either slowing down the process or denaturing the enzyme. Enzymes are complex proteins, they can be thought of as a substance fabricated by a living organism that behaves as a stimulus, otherwise known as a catalyst, to cause a specific biochemical reaction. This experiment was performed by keeping the amylase mixed with starch at different temperatures, either in the heated water or in the ice bath. The temperatures varied at either 0, 25, 55, or 85 degrees Celsius. After a certain amount of time we would then move the test tubes containing the amylases and position them on a plate where iodine was then added to the starch amylase solution. We would do the same thing at different time intervals to see exactly how the enzyme catalyzed the starch. The hypothesis of this experiment was thought to be that the higher the temperature the slower the enzyme would then hydrolyze the starch. Both the Fungal and the Bacterial Amylase had an optimal temperature of 55 degrees Celsius as shown by our concluded results in this

The biological hypothesis is, temperature has an effect on the rate of starch digestion by the amylase. The null hypothesis is, there is no significant change in amylase activity as the temperature changes. Any deviations observed is due to chance. The alternative hypothesis is, there is a significant change in amylase activity as the temperature changes and the temperature has significant effect on amylase activity. The prediction is that temperature has a significant effect on amylase activity and the null hypothesis will be rejected. This will be indicated by tube 2 showing the most starch digested, which would be caused by the most enzyme

Enzymes are biological catalysts, mainly proteins for this experiment, generated by an organism to speed up chemical reactions. They have active sites on which the substrate is attached, and then broken up or joined. For this experiment we are going to work with the enzyme a-amylase. Amylase is an enzyme that breaks starch down into sugar. Amylase is present in human saliva, where it begins the chemical process of digestion. Foods that contain starch like rice and potatoes. Amylase turns some of their starch into sugar in the mouth. The pancreas makes

Enzyme Catalase Experiment Background Enzymes are catalysts for chemical reactions in living things. A catalyst decreases the activation energy for a chemical reaction to start and it increases the rate of a chemical reaction. Most enzymes are proteins and every enzyme has a different, specific function such as amylase. Amylase is an enzyme found in the saliva which breaks down food to a simpler form, specifically, starch into simpler sugars. Another example is when enzymes destroy pathogens after they have been captured.

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

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).

In this essay I will be exploring the digestive system of both a human and a wild rabbit. Digestion is the process of breaking down food so that the body can use the food’s nutrients to help the body function (Pearson Science, 2011). The wild rabbit is an herbivore during the warmer seasons its diet consists of grass, weeds, clovers, wildflowers and vegetable plants. They also try and search for fruit and crops to eat. Whereas when the weather turns cold, wild rabbits will munch on twigs, buds, bark, conifer needles, and any remaining green plants. Wild rabbits can be found on nearly every continent in the world. Its habitat includes meadows, farmlands, burrows, woods, forests, grasslands, deserts and wetlands. Wild Rabbits have many different adaptation skills that allow them to fit well into their environment. The rabbit 's long ears have a unique outer shape called pinna, which enables them to detect faint sounds directly and accurately. Their eyes are positioned high up on the sides of their head, and their flexible neck allows them to see at almost 360 degrees, which makes it easier for them to detect predators. Aside from their long ears and greater field of vision, the rabbits ' fur changes color depending on the climate and their geographical location. Most rabbits can molt and change their fur 's color according to the season. Lastly, the rabbits ' strong and flexible legs allow them to run up to 16 meters per second and change direction quickly. The environment in

In bread making for example addition of amylases can yield more sugars from the starch in flour and barley grains, another commercial which is statue of import ants is the conversion of starch to sweet glucose syrups which are used generally as sweeteners in food industry as well as in the bread-making and brewing industry. Altering the balance between amyloglucosidase and the fungi alpha amylase can produce different proportions of glucose and maltose. A higher proportion of glucose is useful for fermentation whereas higher maltose is more useful in preparation of jam and confectionary. The Amylase Enzyme breaks down starch; which is a carbohydrate.

We are required to obtain certain amount of nutrients from food. Food can simply divide into 2 groups, macro-nutrients and micro-nutrients composition. Both of the groups mentioned do affect the metabolism rate. According to Hulbert and Else, dietary fatty acid will affect the metabolism rate and some of the polyunsaturated fatty acid will increase the metabolism rate (1999). Meanwhile, different kinds of animals have their own unique requirement for macro-nutrients, such as proteins, carbohydrates and fat. Moreover, most of the food intake is driven by achieving the required protein intake. Animals on a low protein diet will over eat carbohydrates and fat until the protein requirement has been satisfied. If this case