the rate of reaction of amylase as measured by the breakdown of starch into glucose

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The effect of PH on the rate of reaction of amylase as measured by the breakdown of starch into glucose

Brief:

A company plan to manufacture soft centred chocolates. These are made by using amylase to break down starch after they have been coated with chocolate. The manufacturer wants to find out if e needs to control the PH of his ingredients for the process to be successful

Introduction:

Starch is the substrate that will be used. Starch is a polysaccharide carbohydrate, which consists of large numbers of glucose, which is a monosaccharide carbohydrate. These glucose molecules are joined together by glycosidic bonds. Starch is a storage polymer of plants.

There are two types of starch found, amylopectin and Amylose. Amylopectin is a branching polymer of α-glucose, this makes it compact. Amylose is a polymer of α-glucose which forms a compact helical chain which makes it a well suited storage carbohydrate. Starch is insoluble, it cannot moves out of cells in which they are stored in and also has no osmotic effect.

The test to detect if there if any starch is present is by adding iodine to the solution and the solution will go blue/black if there is iodine present, but for a negative test the solution will stay yellow/brown. Starch is easily hydrolysed into soluble glucose by amylase enzyme.

Enzymes are biological catalysts and speed up chemical reactions by reducing the activation energy required to break the bonds in the reactants in order to form the new products.

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All enzymes are globular proteins, each with a specific three- dimensional tertiary structure that determines its function. Enzymes are usually specific to the substrate they work with and so the shape of the enzyme’s active site where the substrate binds has to be complementary to the shape of the substrate.

In the case of this reaction, the enzyme (amylase) is catalysing the breakdown of the substrate (starch)

Whether it is induced fit or the lock and key which occurs, the result is the same: once the enzyme has served its purpose, it is released from the product.

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