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Lactose Lab Report

Decent Essays

Abstract Lactose is recognised as a disaccharide; in other words, it consists of glucose and galactose and two smaller sugars bound altogether with a covalent bond. In the form described, lactose is indigestible by us humans; therefore it must be hydrolysed, or broken down, for our body in order to process it. Lactase catalyses this process by decreasing the energy required for hydrolysis to happen. Lactase is a digestive enzyme that catalyses the breakdown of lactose, a sugar found in milk. Lactase works well within a limited range of both pH and temperature in its environment, thus making it dependent on both elements for it to complete this essential reaction. If lactase is seen as non-functional because of temperature or pH extremes, the …show more content…

As they get older, milk is not as important a part of their diet. Many people no longer make lactase as they get older. They then have trouble digesting dairy products. The lactase enzyme they can no longer produce for themselves can be added to dairy products before they eat them. That is why it was easy to buy lactase for the experiment. Introduction In this experiment, a substrate (lactose in cow milk) is used to test the enzyme lactase. The objective is to identify the effect of pH and Temperature on lactase. Thereafter, by plotting the results on graphs and finding their standard deviation, I would be able to interpret the distribution of the data and would find the optimum pH or temperature based on the data. Hypothesis Since human body is of the most efficient and the most accurate among species, I would assume that lactase works at its best while at body temperature: around 37o C. Also, since the human blood pH is regulated to stay within the narrow range of 7.35 to 7.45, I assume that the optimum pH for lactase activity is at that range of pH. Although some people suffer from lactose intolerance, that does not mean that their body cannot provide the optimum pH and Temperature for lactase to function, but it means lactase is in either in short supply or not …show more content…

In test tube D add two millilitres of the sucrose solution and one millilitre of enzyme solution. 10. Repeat step 4. 11. In test tube E add two millilitres of the sucrose solution and one millilitre of water. 12. Repeat steps 4. Data Collection and Graphs: The uncertainty values for glucose is ±50 mg/dL because it was printed on the test tape container. Table 1. Demonstrating the amount of glucose in each test tube Temperatures Test Tube 1 ±50 test tube 2 ±50 Test tube 3 ±50 25oC 550 500 500 37oC 650 700 650 0.8oC 300 350 350 100oC 0 0 50 Positive glucose Control, 25oC 900 900 850 Table 2. Demonstrating the amount of glucose in each test tube Optimal pH The pH scale, ranging from 0 to 14, is used to determine the extent to which a solution is acidic or basic. Solutions that register as a 7 are considered neutral. Those below are considered acidic while those above are deemed basic. The optimal pH for lactase performance is around 6, but lactase can function in an acidic environment ranging between a pH of 2 to 7, which corresponds to the typical pH of the human small intestine. Deviations in pH outside of this range, particularly to the high basic levels of 10 to 12, can cause the lactase enzymes to become

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