Eni Ballauri
9A
January 31, 2007
Biology
What is the impact of enzyme’s
use in human society
‘Enzymes are special kinds of proteins that are found in all living matter. Living cells need enzymes to live and grow. Enzymes are catalysts, substances which speed up chemical reactions present in very small amounts without being changed in the reaction’ [1] .It was firstly named enzyme by a German physiologist, Wilhelm Kühne in 1878. This term comes from Greek ενζυμον “in leaven” to describe the process. This word was later used to refer to nonliving substances, such as pepsin [2]. Enzymes are used for medical reasons [3], to treat a variety of illnesses, as well as to make various drinks and things to eat [4]. Enzymes can be found in everywhere, in the food we eat, such as cheese, yoghurt; in different drinks, such as wine [4]; in laundry detergents, and also in our body.
The use of enzymes has begun years ago, since 1874, when the Danish chemist, Christian Hansen, made the first preparation of relatively high purity used for industrial purposes [5]. He produced the first specimen rennet by extracting dried calves’ stomachs with saline solution [5].
People have been using enzymes unconsciously for ages in their food and drink, such as cheese, yoghurt, bread, beer, wine and others. In grapes, for instance, which are used to make wine, there is a natural form of fungus, called yeast. The enzymes in yeast break down glucose into ethanol and carbon dioxide gas in absence of oxygen. This process is called fermentation [4].
In Japan, an old tradition, Koji, was used for production of certain foodstuffs based on soya protein and fermented beverages. A Japanese scientist, Takamine, developed a fermentation process for the industrial production of fungal amylase. The method of Takamine is still used for the production of various enzymes [5].
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Peer Reviews
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Quality of writing
The fact that the student has used endnotes to show where the information was sourced form is a skill that I have only just learnt at As level, and would not have know to had used at that level. There are no obvious spelling or grammatical mistakes showing that the student has reviewed the work before handing it in.
Level of analysis
The analytical skills are very good, with the student going into great detail on the different uses of enzymes, talking about many different uses not just one area, such as food, this proves that the student has researched a wide variety areas in which enzymes are used. The language used is scientifically acceptable for this level and maybe even beyond. The evidence given for the positive use of enzymes is apparent. There seems to be a lack of negatives about the use of enzymes, in any situation where you are asked to talk about the use of something you should point out the negatives as well as the positives even if you later go on to discredit what they say, as this shows the examiner that you have considered every argument before you go on to make your conclusions.
Response to question
This is an extensive and well written response to the question set, with the content appearing to be well researched and laid out.
