Investigating the effect of temperature on Trypsin enzymes.

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Investigating the Effect of Temperature on Trypsin Enzymes

Plan

Introduction

I am going to be conducting an experiment to find out how temperature affects the rate at which trypsin hydrolyses protein found in milk. It is a biological catalyst, speeding up or slowing down the rate at which protein is broken down. I will test how quickly the trypsin works at a series of different temperatures ranging from 15º to 80º centigrade.

Enzymes

Enzymes are specialized proteins. They act as biological catalysts, which means they speed up reactions, but remain unchanged. Enzymes can be involved in reactions that build up material, or "synthesise" products, these are called anabolic reactions. They can also be involved in reactions that break down products, these are called catabolic reactions. They can, in theory, be used over and over again, but they do not last forever, due to wear and tear, and digestive enzymes go down with food; however, they can be reused.

Enzymes work by the "lock and key hypothesis":

Source: http://www.schoolscience.co.uk/content/5/chemistry/proteins/Protch6pg2.html

Enzymes are affected by different conditions.

* Temperature - enzymes work faster when they are warmer, due to