Name: Devina A P - 22010116120064

Exercise 8: Chemical and Physical Processes of Digestion: Activity 1: Assessing Starch Digestion by Salivary Amylase Lab
Report

Pre-lab Quiz Results

You scored 100% by answering 6 out of 6 questions correctly.

1. The substrate for amylase is

You correctly answered: e. starch and carbohydrate.

2. Which of the following is true of enzymes?

You correctly answered: c. Their activity can be affected by temperature and pH.

3. The reagent IKI tests for the presence of

You correctly answered: a. starch.

4. Which of the following is not true of controls?

You correctly answered: d. A negative result with a positive control is required to validate the test

5. Which of the following is an end product of starch digestion?

You correctly answered: e. maltose and glucose

6. Hydrolases are enzymes that break down large molecules into smaller subunits through the addition of _____________.
You correctly answered: b. water

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Experiment Results
Predict Question:
Predict Question: What effect do you think boiling and freezing will have on the activity of the amylase enzyme?
Your answer : b. Boiling and freezing will both decrease amylase activity.

Stop & Think Questions:

Tube 2 appears to have the same amount of starch digested as tube 3 because
You correctly answered: a. freezing had no effect on the enzyme.

Experiment Data:

Tube No. Reagent 1 Reagent 2 Reagent 3 Treatment Time Temp. IKI Benedict's
1 Amylase Starch pH 7.0 Buffer Boiled 60 37 + -
2 Amylase Starch pH 7.0 Buffer Boiled 60 37 + -
3 Amylase Starch pH 7.0 Buffer None 60 37 - ++
4 Amylase Deionized pH 7.0 Buffer None 60 37 - -
Water
5 Deionized Starch pH 7.0 Buffer None 60 37 + -
Water
6 Deionized Maltose pH 7.0 Buffer None 60 37 - ++
Water
7 Amylase Starch pH 2.0 Buffer None 60 37 + +
8 Amylase Starch pH 9.0 Buffer None 60 37 + +

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Post-lab Quiz Results
You scored 100% by answering 4 out of 4 questions correctly.

1. Tubes 3, 7, and 8 reveal that

You correctly answered: d. amylase activity was highest at pH 7.

2. This activity includes a number of negative controls. Which tube indicates that the amylase solution was not
contaminated with maltose?
You correctly answered: b. tube 4

3. Which tubes indicate that the deionized water did not contain contaminating starch or maltose?
You correctly answered: c. tubes 4, 5, and 6

4. Explain where and why salivary amylase would be most active.

You correctly answered: d. Salivary amylase would be most active in the mouth because pH 7 is where its peak activity is.

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Review Sheet Results
1. List the substrate and the subunit product of amylase.
Your answer:
The substrate is starch and the sub unit is maltose.

2. What effect did boiling have on enzyme activity? Why? How well did the results this compare with your prediction?
Your answer:
Boiling decreased the enzyme activity because the boiling caused amylase denatured, ultimately leaving the enzyme
inactive. This results support my prediction before.

3. At what pH was the amylase activity the most active? Describe the significance of this result.
Your answer:
Amylase is most active at the pH 7.0 . This is significant because amylase is most active at neutral locations, such as
mouth.

4. Briefly describe the need for controls and give an example used in this activity.
Your answer:
Controls are necessary to validate the experimental results. For example, a control group was needed while using
Benedict's reagent on Amylase to test for sugar. The control was used to determine if amylase was contaminated with
maltose or not.

5. Describe the significance of using a 37C incubation temperature to test salivary amylase activity.
Your answer:
Using 37 degrees C simulated the normal temperature of the human body.

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