The effect of enzyme concentration on enzyme activity - Essay Example

the more the molecules available, more reaction takes place. This is expressed in units of molarity. In the following experiment, the aim was to determine the effect on the rate of reaction by varying the quantity of the enzyme on the reaction process by measuring a physically/visually perceptible change in colour. A milk protein, Casein was used which is subject to breakdown by the action of a protease enzyme. The idea was to vary the concentration of the protease enzyme in a constant volume of the milk sample and measure the reaction time by the end point, taken as the time taken for the clearing up of the solution.

Values for various concentrations were obtained and the results evaluated. The dependent variables in the experiment were the concentration of the milk solution and the enzyme dilutions and the independent variables were visual time measurement, temperature and the degree of mixing the two solutions. Equal volumes of a protease solution and the milk sample (5 cm3) were placed in different test tubes (TT1 & TT2). Milk solution was prepared by dissolving 5 g of milk powder in 100 ml of water. Contents from both tubes were mixed together and the stop watch started.

The mixture test tube was placed in front of a white paper marked with a cross and the time measured up to the point when the cross was visible through the solution. This gave the time interval for the disappearance of the substrate and so the time values for the reaction were expressed as a function of 1/T. It is very clear from the above table as well as graph that with the successive decrease in the concentration of the enzyme, it took more time for the solution to clear up indicating that the amount of enzyme influenced the rate of the reaction.

This confirms the fact that more the number of enzyme molecules available, the faster will be the rate of the reaction. As a corollary of this result, it can be hypothesized from the result that when more molecules of both the