Enzymes Lab Report

In biology, energy is needed for any process or reaction. Life would not exist without the presence of enzymes (Phillips, 2017). Through chemical reactions, this energy is created and is controlled by a catalyst, enzymes. Enzymes are known as proteins that are produced in living cells that speed up the metabolic processes of an organism. These catalysts speed up these reactions by decreasing the activation energy, how much energy is needed for a chemical reaction to happen (WBC, 2015). An enzyme-substrate complex forms when a substrate attaches to an enzyme’s active site. The purpose of this complex is that reactions start to occur, due to the modification of the chemical bonds in the substrate. This reaction results with a product in the
end. There is no change or consumption of the enzyme in this reaction, meaning that this enzyme can be reused. The products come out of the active site of the enzyme, which gives the ability to other substrate molecules to be able to bind. The lock and key model is a substrate which is the key fits like a puzzle into the active site, the lock.
In other words, the reactants that match the form of an active site can bind to that enzyme. When they bind, the amino acid chains of the enzyme cause the active site to change form or shape. Enzymes can do this because of the induced fit model, where they are able to change their shape to match the size of the substrate. For an enzyme to act, there are a few factors that affect them which are: substrate concentration, temperature, salt concentration, pH, and inhibitors, activators and cofactors being present (Kumar, 2015) Finding the optimal temperature for amylase Bacteria and Fungi with the presence of starch is the purpose of this experiment. Optimal conditions are known as conditions in which organism are able to thrive in, where it is able to function at its best. If an organism was to surpass its optimal temperature, the denaturing of the active site occurs, which means that it changes form, which in turn prevents the binding of substrates. For this experiment, amylase is an enzyme, which starch and glycogen is converted into a simple sugar. Amylase was discovered by Anselme Payen in
1833.
They were the first enzyme to be discovered. This enzyme’s main function is that it helps break down and digest carbohydrates and the starch is hydrolyzed into carbohydrates that are much smaller. The experiment focuses on the effect of temperature on amylase activity. The two amylases that are used in the experiment is Aspergillus oryzae and Bacillus licheniformis. B. lichenformis is classified as bacteria that can be seen in soil, and is usually transported through a bird’s feathers or plumage. A. oryzae is a type of mold, or fungi, that is utilized for Asian food production, which could include the fermentation of soybeans. The student is required to discover the optimal temperatures for both, Aspergillus oryzae (Fungal) and Bacillus licheniformis (bacteria). For this case, the student must examine how does temperature influence the manner that amylase is able to break down the starch to maltose. In animals, amylase could be found in saliva. When amylase mixes with starch, maltose is cut off, meaning that as the reaction continues, there will be more maltose present than
starch. For the experiment, Aspergillus oryzae will be done first. The student must place a napkin under the spot plates and write temperatures: 0 °C, 25 °C, 65 °C, and 85 °C and on the longer side time: 0, 2, 4, 6, 8, 10 minutes. The student will then label test tubes and label them with the four temperatures stated before, whether it is bacterial or fungal, and group number. The student will need another 4 tubes labeled with the different temperatures, whether it is bacterial or fungal, and S for starch. For the test tubes labeled starch, the student must add 5 ml of the starch solution which contains 1.5% of starch into tubes labeled S. To see how the temperature affects amylase activity, 1 ml of amylase must be added into each test tube that do not have starch (the first four test tubes). The student must then place the 8 test tubes in a water bath at the temperature according to their label. After the tubes have equalized for 5 minutes, 2-3 drops of iodine must be added to the well of 0 min. The student will then transfer a few drops of the starch solution from each temperature treatment to first row of the spot plate corresponding to time 0 minutes. The student must not combine and cross-contaminate the solutions. After that, the starch solution must be put into amylase tube. Then, the student will add 2-3 drops of iodine to each well at 2 min row. After 2 min, repeat for every time. The student will then record the data in a chart for Aspergillus oryzae and Bacillus licheniforms.