3.5 Making Use Of Enzymes Flashcards
Biological detergents
They contain protease and lipases. These enzymes break down the proteins and fats in the stains. Biological detergents work better than none biological detergents at lower temperatures. They are denatured if the water gets too hot. This uses less electricity.
What are protease enzymes used for in industry.
Used to make baby foods. They predigest some of the protein the the food.
Uses of carbohydrase enzymes in industry
Converting starch into glucose syrup.
Starch is very cheap. Using enzymes to convert this plant starch into sweat sugar provides a cheap source of sweetness for manufacturers.
It also important for the process of making ethanol from plants.
How is glucose syrup converted from starch turned into fructose syrup
Isomerase enzymes are used to change glucose syrup into fructose syrup.
Benefits of using fructose syrup over glucose syrup
Fructose syrup and glucose syrup contain the same amount of of energy kJ. However fructose is much sweater than glucose so less is needed to make the food taste sweat. So there is less energy in the food.
Fructose is widely used in slimming foods. The food tastes sweat but contains fewer calories
Why is fructose syrup used in slimming foods instead of glucose syrup.
Fructose syrup is much sweater than glucose syrup, so less is needed to make the food taste sweet so there are less calories as there is less fructose syrup used than glucose syrup
Up sides and down sides of using enzymes in industry
In industrial processes many of the reactions need high temperature and pressure to make them fast enough to produce the products needed.
This requires expensive equipment and uses a lot of energy.
Enzymes catalyse reactions at fairly low temperatures and normal pressures. Enzyme based processes are therefore fairly cheap to run.
Enzymes are denatured at high temperatures so the temperatures must be controlled. The pH also needs to be controlled to levels that suit the enzyme, it costs money to control these conditions.
Many enzymes are expensive to produce. Whole microorganisms are cheap, but need to be supplied with food and oxygen and their waste products removed. They use some of the substrate to grow more microorganisms. Pure enzymes use the substrate more efficiently, but they are also more expensive to produce.
Some micro organisms produce enzymes that pass out of the cells and can be used in different ways.
Pros and cons of biological detergents
They are effective at cleaning at low temperatures
So Require less energy good for environment, cheaper.
Polluting water systems rivers, seas from biological detergents being washed into the sewage system.
Low temperatures used to wash with biological detergents may not be as good at killing pathogens on cloths.
Some people may be allergic, skin problems.
Why are enzymes in biological detergents put in tiny capsules
To prevent allergy problems. Enzyme dust in the air triggered allergies, some people using the powders were affected as well.
So the enzymes were put in tiny capsules and then most of the allergy problems stopped.
Enzymes in medicine
To diagnose disease (liver enzymes leaking into blood from liver damage or disease)
To diagnose and control disease.
Urine dip sticks. Testing for glucose in urine, enzyme catalyses the break down of glucose the strip changes colour as it contains a chemical indicator and an enzyme.
To cure disease.
Pancreatic insufficiency, if the pancreas cannot make enzymes you can take extra enzymes particularly lipase.
Lactose intolerance, lactase enzymes are used to break down lactose.
Enzymes are used on heart attack patients
. Streptokinase is injected into the blood this dissolves clots in the arteries of the heart walls and reduces the amount of damage done to the heart muscle.
Treating blood cancer. The cancer cells cannot make one type of amino acid. So they take it from the body fluids. The enzyme speeds up the breakdown of the amino acid. The cancer cells cannot get any so they die. The normal cells can make the amino acid so they are not affected.
When were enzymes first isolated from living cells
The 19th century.
