In: Anatomy and Physiology
EW = Egg White
Tube No. |
Digestion (Yes or No) |
Color Change |
1 (EW+Pepsin+Water) |
No |
Cloudy, sedimentation |
2 (EW+Pepsin+HCl) |
Yes |
Clear, little or no sediment |
3 (EW+Pepsin+HCl; in cold) |
Some digestion |
Clear, more sedimentation |
4 (EW+Boiled Pepsin+HCl) |
No digestion |
A lot more sedimentation |
5 (EW+Water+HCl) |
No digestion |
Cloudy, sedimentation |
6 (EW+Pepsin+NaOH) |
No digestion |
No sediment; pinkish clear |
2. How would you describe the effect of boiling the enzyme pepsin on its ability to digest the egg-white protein? What is the technical term for this phenomenon? Please explain the result you have obtained.
EFFECT OF pH CHANGE ON THE DIGESTION OF PROTEIN:
1.Proteins are digested in the stomach by an enzyme called pepsin. This enzyme requires an acidic environment inorder to get activated. Thus HCl is secreted by the parietal cells in the stomach. This HCl converts inactive pepsinogen into active pepsin. In the experiment, we saw that,digestion only occurs if HCl is present( provided,other conditions remain same). In the stomach, the optimal pH required for protein digestion is around 2.5-3.
2. EFFECT OF BOILING PEPSIN:
Every enzyme requires an optimum temperature for its proper functioning. When an enzyme is boiled,the bonds in the tertiary structure of enzyme breaks and the three dimensional structure of proteins destroys which inhibits the attachment of substrate on the active site of enzyme. The technical team for this phenomenon is Denaturation of proteins.
Carbohydrates are not properly digested in stomach. Carbohydrates are digested by enzyme-amylase which requires alkaline pH.Acidic environment of stomach prevents carbohydrate digestion. Thus it takes place in small intestine where pH is alkaline.