Protein - Protein Denaturation Flashcards
1
Q
Protein Denaturation
A
- Proteins can be denatured when exposed to heat, variations of pH, alcohol and heavy metals such as aluminium.
- When proteins are denatured, they lose their 3D structure and hence their function. The structure effectively unravels.
- Proteins are first denatured for digestion. Denaturing does not change the primary structure (the amino acid sequence) – proteolysis does that, but denaturation facilitates the process of proteolysis by making proteins more accessible to be worked on by proteolytic enzymes such as pepsin.
- Pepsin, the main protein digestive enzyme of the stomach is a remarkable protein – it is optimally active at pH 2, whereas other food proteins will undergo denaturation!
Proteolysis = proteo (protein) + lysis (breakdown)
