I predict that the optimum working pH for the enzyme trypsin will be pH 8, I think this because the conditions in the duodenum would be slightly alkali making pH 8 a good estimate. Enzymes act as an organic catalyst in the body, helping to speed up digestion.
Enzymes have an optimum working temperature and an optimum pH to which they work best at, if the temperature or pH starts either fall or rise the Enzyme will start to become de-natured as ionic and hydrogen bonds begin to break, you can see from the diagram below an enzyme working at optimum pH/temperature.The enzyme trypsin is one of the many protease, which break down protein in the human body. A typical enzyme holds a standard shape which assists it in the breakdown of nutrients and provides a larger surface area . Enzymes are proteins folded in specific shapes. Each enzyme has a unique grove which is known as the "active site" where to food to be digested fits into the enzyme (shown above.
) The enzyme Trypsin is found in the duodenum, the first part of the small intestine.Trypsin is a pancreatin, produced in the pancreas the enzyme is tailored to work best in the alkaline conditions of the duodenum therefore an optimum pH for the enzyme to work at must be over 7, if the pH strayed from the optimum pH we would start to find the enzyme becoming denatured, this is due to the hydrogen bonds inside the enzyme actually breaking causing the enzyme not to be able to function and amino-acid chains unravelling. We will use photographic film negative in this experiment to determine how effective the trypsin actually is.The exposed photographic film contains grains of black and silver pigment adhered to the clear plastic using gelatine, because the gelatine used is a protein we can use this in our experiment to decipher how quickly trypsin works at different pH's.
The enzyme trypsin will digest the gelatine making it soluble so it can no longer attach to the pigment this will leave us with a clear strip, the end point of this experiment will be when the strip is fully transparent this shall be checked by holding the negative up by a white tile.The rate in which the negative goes transparent will help us assert the optimum pH for the enzyme to digest protein. The break down of proteins takes place in the duodenum. Pancreatic juice contains trypsinogen, which is the inactive form of the enzyme trypsin. The wall of the intestine produces enterokinase (another enzyme), which converts trypsinogen to trypsin. Trypsin is an endopeptidase, which, like pepsin, proteins and long polypeptide chains into short polypeptide chains.
Digestion is the breaking down of large, insoluble food molecules into small, soluble molecules. (This is done so that food can move from the alimentary canal into the blood. ) There are two types of digestion, namely mechanical and chemical digestion. Mechanical digestion is where The food must first be broken down into smaller bits The teeth are used for mechanical digestion.
Food is cut by the incisors and crushed between the molars. The stomach churns the food as the muscles contract. The small intestine mixes the food by a process of segmentation and peristalsis.Chemical digestion This is the breaking down of large, complex, insoluble molecules into smaller, simple, soluble molecules.
Enzymes that break up the complex molecules do the breaking down. The enzyme trypsin, which we use in this experiment is used in digestion. It works in the duodenum and helps with the final stages of digestion. The enzyme is produced in the pancreas as part of the pancreatic juices, many other enzymes are produced also such as lipase's and amylase's. These enzymes are released into the duodenium to help digest the food types respectively.As I have already said I predict the enzyme to work best in slightly alkaline conditions, I have come to this theory as the pancreatic juices contain a solution called sodium hydrogen carbonate (NaHCO3) this solution is produced to neutralise the stomach acids as the duodenum has no or very little alkaline mucus lining therefore the conditions in the duodenum will be slightly acidic, this theory is backed up more by the fact that the liver releases a substance called Bile which actually contains more sodium hydrogen carbonate to neutralise the stomach acids knowing this I predict the optimum temperature for the enzyme to function will be pH8 as this is a weak alkali and will work well in the alkali conditions of the duodenum.
