Question

1. what is the optimal pH for salivary amylase activity and how does it compare with the pH at which the enzyme is normally found?

2. The pH inside most animal’s stomachs is usually between 3 and 4. How much dietary starch is likely to be converted to maltose in the stomach relative to the mouth an esophagus?

3. What is the optimal temperature for salivary amylase and how does it compare with the temperature at which the enzyme normally acts?

4. What variables other than temperature and pH might alter the activity of salivary amylase?

5. How different were the hydrogen ion concentrations of the buffers you used?

6. Which of the four compounds you tested gave living yeast cells the most energy during the course of your experiment and why?

7. How confident are you in the results of your experiments and what factors may have led to errors?

Answer 1

1. The optimal pH for salivary amylase activity is 6.8. Each enzyme have specific pH at which enzyme act. The optimum pH can range from 1 to 14. The salivary amylase is functional at 6.8.

2. Starch will be digested in the mouth but not in stomach as salivary amylase which break down starch is not present in the stomach. Saliva have salivary amylase that breakdown starch is broken down. Further, small intestine have enzyme, pancreatic amylase digest starch.

3. Same as question 1

4. Concentration of enzyme and substrate are variables other than temperature and pH might alter the activity of salivary amylase