Analysing the Effectiveness of Amylase at Varied Temperatures

The first 200 words of this essay...

GCSE Biology

Analysing the Effectiveness of Amylase at Varied Temperatures

Prepared by: Scott Bayfield

Contents

Planning Page 3

Prediction Page 3

Equipment list Page 4

Health and safety issues Page 4

Variables Page 4

Method Page 5

Results Page 6

Analysis Page 6

Test Evaluation Page 7

Planning

The aim of this experiment is to investigate how effectively the enzyme amylase breaks down starch into glucose, at different temperatures, and therefore to find the optimum temperature of amylase.

Amylase is an enzyme found in various places throughout the body however, mostly in the saliva and the pancreas. It has an effect on the starch we consume in food and acts by breaking it down into glucose as the following diagram explains:

The diagram shows how the enzyme and substrate (starch) fit together exactly like a lock and key. Starch in its entirety is a large insoluble chain of identical sugar molecules, however, when starch comes into contact with amylase it is broken down into individual/smaller soluble molecules and converted into glucose.

Prediction

I predict that the amylase would break down the