Matt Navarette, Bailey Gonsalves, Alex Cortes, Austin Anderson, & Brandon Matheson
Mr. Stratton
Anatomy & Physiology, Period 2
20 March 2015
Enzyme Concentration Lab ~ Bean Juice Amylase

Design
Introduction‐ Enzymes are biological catalysts that contain the greatest and most highly specialized class of protein molecules. Enzymes act as catalysts to increase the rates of chemical reactions, but they do not cause a reaction to occur that would not proceed spontaneously without the enzyme (Damon, 2008). It is a macromolecule chemical agent to speed up reactions, by lowering the energy barrier for a chemical reaction to take place. The energy barrier or activation energy, which is the energy required to break the bonds of reactant molecules to produce a new reaction (Campbell
& Reece, 2008). Activation energy is often from the the heat that the reactants create from breaking the covalent bonds. In this enzymatic reaction the substrate is located in the active site of the enzyme, and this allows it to bond and with less energy necessary, the products are created. The enzyme Amylase is found and created in the salivary glands and the pancreas. It is the digestive enzyme that is need to breakdown carbohydrates, and more specifically starch, into smaller monosaccharides. For this general purpose, the sources are significant because the digestion of large molecule carbs begins in the mouth, salivary, and then continues into the stomach until this enzyme is denatured by the acid. Then the digestion begins again in the small intestine with pancreatic amylase until the nutrients and energy is absorbed into the blood, and the excess is discarded. Starch is the substrate to the enzyme amylase. Starch is a polymer made from many glucose molecules connected together in a long chain via covalent bonding. It is produced by dehydration synthesis and is used by many organisms as a way to store glucose for later use. In order to use the energy found in

starch, the polymer must be broken down into its simpler form of glucose units ( Hägele ,
1982). Amylase digests starch by catalyzing hydrolysis, which is splitting by the addition of a water molecule. Amylase converts starch to glucose dimers (maltose) and trimmers
(maltotriose). These are then converted by other enzymes to glucose which can then be used for cellular respiration. How will the alteration of the enzyme concentration affect the activity of the enzyme amylase on digestion demonstrated through starch and iodine? Hypothesis‐ H₀‐ There will be no significant change of the activity of the enzymatic processes, with alteration of enzyme concentration.
Hₐ‐ There will be a significant change of the activity of the enzymatic processes, with alteration of enzyme concentration, because of the with a lesser enzyme concentration the enzyme will perform metabolic activities at a less efficient rate. Variables:
Independent Variable‐ Concentrations of salivary enzyme solutions (100%, 50%, 10%, and a control with 0%)
Dependent Variable ‐ Speed of amylase reaction

Controlled Variables‐ Type of
Variable.

Description of
Variable.

How it was
Controlled.

Why it needed to be controlled. Control

Amount of iodine indicator 2 drops per test tube

Controlling this factor allowed for even color throughout the different solutions before the enzyme had enough time to begin processing the starch.

Control

Temperature of room 23.4℃ (±.5)

Ensure that environmental conditions remain as close to the same as possible for each trial of the experiment.

Control

Light level in room

91 lux (土.5)

Ensure that environmental conditions for each trial of the enzyme are as close to the same conditions as possible Control

Concentration of amylase solution

1 gram/ 10 mL distilled water

Allow for a constant amount of the enzyme throughout the entire experiment.