Enzyme Amylase Lab Report Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Enzyme Amylase - Lab Report Example An enzyme is a protein-based catalyst that raises the reaction rate of a reaction by lowering the activation energy needed for that reaction. It is not used up in the process. It is hypothesized that the enzyme activity changes when various parameters such as temperature, pH and the concentration of the enzyme are changed. Materials: The materials used were: 400 mL beakers, thermometers, hot plate, ice, 1% starch solution, 2 grams of soluble starch, iodine in dropper bottles, buffer solutions with pH levels of 4, 7 and 10, well (spot) plate labeled 1, 2, 3 and 4, saliva (amylase) solution, test tube rack, test tubes, droppers, a 10 mL graduated cylinder and water squirters. Method: a) Reference color A few drops of 1% starch solution were placed on a spot plate. One drop of iodine was added to the spot. The color that formed was taken to be the reference color. b) Effect of concentration. A 400 mL beaker was half-filled with water and then warmed to 37?C. The temperature was kept con stant at 37?C. Saliva was collected in a disposable tube. 4 mL of 1% starch solution was placed in a test tube. This tube was placed in the water bath for five minutes. In spot plate 1, no spit was added, in plate 2, one drop of saliva was added, in plate 3, three drops of saliva were added and in plate 4, five drops of saliva were added. Eight drops of 1% starch solution were then added to each well plate. ... The plate was then rinsed with water and the test repeated twice after intervals of 5 and 10 minutes. After each test, the observations made were recorded. A graph of the enzyme activity against the amount of amylase at 10 minutes was then plotted. c) Effect of temperature. 1 mL of 1% starch solution was placed in two test tubes. One of these tubes was placed in a water bath with boiling water and the other in an ice bath. 1 mL of the 1% starch solution used in method a) above was placed in a test tube. This test tube was then placed in a water bath with a temperature of 37?C. The three tubes were left in the baths for 10 minutes. The temperatures of the baths were then recorded. Two drops of saliva were placed in 3 well plates and then one drop of iodine added to each plate. Four drops of the 1% starch solution in the test tube contained in the ice bath were added to one spot, another four drops of the starch solution in the test tube contained in the water bath at 37?C were added t o the second spot, and finally four drops of the starch solution in the test tube contained in the water bath with boiling water were added to the third spot. The observations made were recorded and a graph of enzyme activity against temperature plotted. d) Effect of pH 2 mL of each of the three buffer solutions (with pH levels of 4, 7 and 10) was placed in separate test tubes. 2 mL of 1% starch solution was then placed in three other test tubes. All the test tubes were then placed in a water bath with a temperature of 37?C for five minutes. The three 1% starch solutions were then poured into three buffer solutions and then mixed thoroughly. The test tubes with the mixtures were then returned to the water bath. Three drops of spit were placed in three spot plates. Using clean droppers,

Compare the food with The book Omnivore's Dilemma Research Paper

Compare the food with The book Omnivore's Dilemma - Research Paper Example However, most health experts have warned against eating processed food. This is due to the health risks associated with processed food. For instance, most Americans are over obsessed with eating fast foods such as humbugger prepared in famous restaurants such as McDonalds. Before the humbugger comes to the table, it undergoes processing and the addition of food preservatives which health experts say is not good for human health. William Pollan in his book, The Omnivore’s Dilemma, exposed to people the health risk they are exposing themselves to by eating American foods, which he says are full of chemicals. Pollan claims that most foods that Americans eat today be it meat, eggs, chicken, or milk comes from corn. According to Pollan, chicken, cows, fish, and turkey are all fed on corn (Pollan 4). However, his main concern is that the corn has certain ingredients that expose people to health risks. Some of the ingredients that come from corn include riglycerides, lecithin, the ci tric acid, and the mono-, the coloring and raspberry flavor. These ingredients are harmful to human health. In fact, some authors have claimed that the increased cases of chronic diseases such as heart attacks, cancer, diabetes, and obesity are attributable to the unhealthy foods that Americans eat, in the form of processed foods. ... Kenner begins by moving into various slaughterhouses and factory farms. While in a factory farm, he is amazed to observe how chickens are conditioned and fed on chemicals that make them grow too fast to move properly (Food Inc.). In another farm, he observes how cows are fed on toxic chemicals after which their products, such as meat and milk, are sneaked into the market by illegal immigrants, at an affordable cost. The filmmaker’s main concern is that Americans eat these unhealthy foods daily without knowing the health risks that they are exposing themselves to. Kenner concurs with Pollan’s observation that the rising cases of chronic diseases, such as heart diseases, cancer, diabetes, and obesity are largely to blame on the toxic chemicals that people eat in the processed foods and products from animals fed on toxic chemical substances. Industrial food is not only an American food as other countries, like China, are also increasingly becoming over obsessed with indust rial foods. According to the Eurominitor, a leading research firm in Europe, China will soon surpass America in terms of the consumption of industrial foods (Holt par. 1). In fact, the research firm predicts that China will become the number one consumer of processed foods by the year 2015. The Euromonitor states that China could consume as much as 107 million tons of processed foods compared to the 102 million tons consumed by the U.S. In fact, eating packed food is increasingly becoming a norm in the U.S. Holt noted that most Chinese foods come from animals fed on chemicals that make them grow and fasten too fast (par. 3). Since China has no any environmental