Question

Enzymology/Biochemistry

How do digestive enzymes change (chemistry, optimum conditions) along the GI tract?

Answer 1

Enzymes are required for proper digestive system function. Digestive enzymes are mostly produced in the pancreas, stomach and small intestine. But even your salivary glands produce digestive enzymes to start breaking down food molecules while you're still chewing.

Types of enzymes are amylase, protease, lipase. Digestive enzymes are essential for healthy digestion and a healthy body. They work with other chemicals in the body, such as stomach acid and bile, to help break down food into molecules for a wide range of bodily functions. Enzymes help acts as a catalyst to break down the big molecules into smaller ones. Starch, proteins and fats are big molecules and lipase enzymes breakdown fats into fatty acids and glycerols. Optimum ph of various digestive enzymes and physiological ph values were determined in the GI tract. Chemical digestion uses enzymes to break down food.

Enzymes work best at normal body temperature. Stomach acid doesn't digest protein, this enzymes work best at a ph of 3-5 and requires the acid to maintain the ph. The substrate sucrose bonded together, the substrate bind together to form enzyme-substrate complex, the binding of the substrate and enzyme places stress on the glucose-fructose bond and the bond breaks and the product is released and enzymes are free to bind with other substrate. Enzymes are large structure and having its own 3d shape, the rate of a reaction for such a process suis thousands of substrate molecules/ min.