Sabrina Campbell
5J
Lab #17
Implementation Lab
Skill: AI
Title: Enzymes
Problem Statement:
A student noticed that when an apple is cut and left out, it becomes brown, however if
vinegar or lemon juice is sprinkled on the surface, it does not go brown. Plan and design an
experiment to explain this.
Introduction
Enzymes are biological molecules, typically proteins, that act as catalysts in biochemical
reactions. They speed up the rate of chemical reactions in biological processes. According to
the International Union of Biochemists (I U B), enzymes are divided into six functional
classes and are classified based on the type of reaction in which they are used to catalyze.
The six kinds of enzymes are; hydrolases, oxidoreductases, lyases, transferases, ligases
and isomerases.
➢ Oxidoreductases – The enzyme catalyzes the oxidation reaction where the electrons
tend to travel from one form of a molecule to the other.
➢ Transferases – The enzymes help in the transportation of the functional group
among acceptors and donor molecules.
➢ Hydrolases– These are hydrolytic enzymes, which catalyze the hydrolysis reaction by
adding water to cleave the bond and hydrolyze it.
➢ Lyases – Adds water, carbon dioxide or ammonia across double bonds or eliminate
these to create double bonds.
➢ Isomerases – The enzymes catalyze the structural shifts present in a molecule, thus
causing the change in the shape of the molecule.
➢ Ligases – The enzymes are known to charge the catalysis of a ligation process.
Some fruits and vegetables, such as apples, bananas and potatoes, typically contain
oxidoreductases that are the cause of browning in the substance after being sliced or
bruised. These enzymes speed up the reaction of the substance with oxygen which is an
oxidation reaction.
Some substances or conditions, however, can cause enzymes to become denatured and
allow for a chemical reaction to take a longer time to occur or be fully complete.
Temperature, pH levels and other factors can make an enzyme become denatured.
Temperature – the ideal temperature for enzymes to thrive in is 20°C – 35°C. Anything too
above or too below will cause enzymes to denature.
pH – enzymes cannot perform their purpose in pH above 8 or below 6 properly. This means
too basic a substance (alkalinity) or too acidic a substance, the enzyme will become
denatured.
Such conditions would slow down chemical reactions since the enzyme that speed it up is
not working.
Sabrina Campbell
5J
Aim: To determine if the oxidation of cut apples is slowed down when lemon
juice is sprinkled on them.
Apparatus: stopwatch, knife, petri dish
Materials: apple, lime juice
Apple slice in petri dish A Apple slice in petri dish B
DIAGRAM SHOWING APPLE SLICE IN PETRI DISH A AND APPLE SLICE IN PETRI DISH
B after 10 minutes
Method:
1. All materials were gathered.
2. Apple was cut into two equal slices
3. A slice was placed into 2 petri dishes each.
4. One petri dish was labelled A and the other B.
5. The physical features of the apple slices were observed.
6. Lemon juice was sprinkled on the apple slice in petri dish A.
7. A timer was set for 10 minutes
8. Any changes observed were recorded for both petri dishes.
Observation: At the beginning of the lab experiment, it was observed that the apple
slices were of a white colour when sliced. Lemon juice was sprinkled on
the apple slice in petri dish A. It was observed that the apple slice in petri
dish B became a bit brown over a few minutes after being left out open.
For 10 minutes it was left out, the apple slice in petri dish A was a white
colour while the apple slice in petri dish B was slightly browner in colour
than the apple slice in petri dish A.
Sabrina Campbell
5J
Discussion: Enzymes are protein molecules that speed up chemical reactions. They
act as catalysts in most biological processes. For example, the breaking
down of food in the stomach so the nutrients from it can be absorbed and
used by the bodily cells where enzymes break down these food particles.
Oxidation is the chemical or biological process in which oxygen, an
electron(s), or hydrogen is gained or lossed. In most cases, oxidation is
the reaction of the substance with the oxygen in the air. This chemical
process can be sped up by certain enzymes found in the substance being
oxidized.
In this lab experiment, two slices of apple were left out to oxidize but one
had lemon juice (C6H8O7) sprinkled on it. The one with lemon juice
sprinkled on it was not brown while the other was a bit browner than that
apple slice. This is most likely due to the acidic nature of the lemon juice
which causes the enzyme found in the apple to become denatured,
resulting in enzymatic action to slow down which makes the oxidation
slow down. Lime juice is acidic with a pH of between 2 and 3 and
enzymes thrive in a neutral pH environment of 6-8. With this knowledge,
the experimenter can concur that lime juice would cause the enzymes that
speed up oxidation in the apple slice to become denatured.
An error experienced by the experimenter was that the apple slices were
already exposed to the air so the surface of the apple was already
oxidized. Ensure to cut a thin slice off of the surface of the apple to reveal
a fresh slice of apple, preventing the occurrence of faulty results.
Limitations include, an unfavourable environment (windy conditions for
example), speeding up or slowing down the oxidation process, the lemon
juice used was of a low concentration.
Reflection: In this Implementation Lab experiment, I learnt of the importance of
enzymes in my life, personally and in the society as a whole. Enzymes
play an important role in almost, if not all, biological processes in the
body. For example, if there were no enzymes then our body would not be
able to receive nutrients from the food we eat which would result in the
death of body cells as they would not be getting the energy needed for
them to function. In this lab experiment, the importance of enzymes is
noted by the oxidation process of the apple slice in both beakers. This is a
useful research experiment to help in many fields, such as food
processing. Since we now know that a pH of below 6 or above 8 can
cause enzymes to become denatured and slow down the chemical
reactions that take place, we can use this information to slow down the
spoiling or rotting of food. In my Planning and Designing lab, I had
planned on leaving the apple slices unattended for 48 hours but in this
Implementation Lab we had left then for 10 minutes instead because of
the time limitations placed upon us for completing the lab experiment.
This experiment has taught me how to better preserve my food to reduce
wastage.
Sabrina Campbell
5J
Conclusion: It can be concluded that, after 10 minutes undisturbed, the apple slice in
petri dish B had oxidized more than the apple slice in petri dish A, proving
the hypothesis correct.