The Importance Of Enzymes

Enzymes are protein molecules that are made by organisms to catalyze reactions. Typically, enzymes speeds up the rate of the reaction within cells. Enzymes are primarily important to living organisms because it helps with metabolism and the digestive system. For example, enzymes can break larger molecules into smaller molecules to help the body absorb the smaller pieces faster. In addition, some enzyme molecules bind molecules together. However, the initial purpose of the enzyme is to speed up reactions for a certain reason because they are “highly selective catalysts” (Castro J. 2014). In other words, an enzyme is a catalyst, which is a substance that increases the rate of a reaction without undergoing changes. Moreover, enzymes work with
Without enzymes, reactions wouldn’t occur and living organisms would die. For instance, the enzyme in the stomach breaks down large molecules to smaller molecules to absorb nutrition faster. Researchers experimented with enzyme activity with a potato extract. Researchers will test enzyme activity by increasing and decreasing pH levels, lowering and increasing temperature, and substrate concentration effects. In the first experiment, researchers hypothesized whether different pH levels would change how much Benzoquinone are created and how will the enzymes function in neutral pH levels than higher and lower levels. Researchers used potato extract and different levels of pH to test their hypothesis. In addition, researchers questioned at what temperature does the greatest amount of potato extract enzyme activity take place in. Researchers then hypothesized that the results would indicate the greatest amount of potato enzyme activity level will take place in room temperature. In this experiment, researchers used potato extract and different temperature levels to test the hypothesis. Moreover, researchers wanted to test the color intensity scale and how specific catechol oxidase is for catechol. In this experiment, researchers used dH2O, catechol solution, hydroquinone, and potato extract. Lastly, researchers tested the substrate concentration and how it has an effect on enzyme activity. In this experiment researchers used different measurements of catechol and 1cm of potato extract. Researchers hypothesized that the increase o substrate would level out the enzyme activity