Enzymes are a type of the macromolecule protein, used in metabolic reactions that occur within the cell of living organisms. The role of enzymes in these reactions is to decrease the amount of energy needed to start the reactions, thus assisting the metabolic process by increasing the speed at which the reaction occurs. In other words, enzymes allow the metabolic process to happen faster than it would naturally, making them catalysts. The structure of an enzyme is important to it’s function. Every enzyme has a specific active site, these sites differ based on the substrates the enzyme is catalyzing. With this being said there are several different types of enzymes in the body, some of these will combine substrates together, while others will break substrates down. Although enzymes have a role in these reactions they are not destroyed by them, allowing them to be used again in future reactions. However, enzymes can be changed or degraded by the environment they are contained in, exposure to extreme heat or acidity will cause the active sites to mutate or change shapes and no longer allow for the substrate to …show more content…
Amylase is an enzyme that is specifically in charge of breaking down starches into sugar by using water (hydrolysis). In general amylase is present in all living organisms, but can vary between different species. Porcine amylases and the amylases that is found in humans has an 81.7% similarity (Argwall, 1987). In order to determine the optimal environmental conditions of porcine liver amylase the experiments conducted in this lab will test ph. (acidity) and the temperature. Each variable will be tested individually by gradually increasing both during each trail. The time in which amylase can complete it’s reaction will be recorded and used to determine the most effective environment. Our purpose is to find the optimal setting to achieve the quickest