Activities on Biological Molecules

A. Complete the table below.

Factors Effect on reaction rate Effect on reaction rate Brief explanation as to

if factor is reduced or if factor is raised or why these factors affect
decreased increased enzyme function and
reaction rates on that
way

A. Enzyme The reaction rate The reaction rate The enzyme activity
concentration decreases increases until all of the becomes more efficient
substrate is bound, when enzyme
causing the rate to concentration is
reach its limit. increased; The efficiency
of enzymes highly
affects the speed of
reaction.
B. Substrate The reaction rate The reaction rate As usual, enzymes bind
concentration decreases increases until it with substrate; More
reaches its limit where substrate means more
the concentration substrate concentration
becomes which leads to more
supersaturated. additional enzymes to
bind to, causing the rate
of reaction to increase.
C. Inhibitor The reaction will slow The reaction will speed Through enzyme
concentration down, decreasing the up, increasing the inhibitors, less substrate
reaction rate reaction rate molecules can bind to
the enzymes, and high
concentrations of
inhibitors highly affect
the reaction rate.
Without the inhibitors,
the rate of reaction may
become higher than it is
with inhibitors, but it
still doesn't change the
fact that higher
concentration of
inhibitors means higher
reaction rates.
D. Temperature The rate of enzyme The rate of enzyme Just like in
activity will decrease. activity will also thermochemistry,
increase, with the temperature affects
exception that the reaction rates simply
enzymes are past the because heat brings
ideal range of kinetic energy which
temperature (which is results in more
40OC); Enzymes at more molecules reaching the
than 40 degrees Celsius activation energy,
will cause the reaction therefore increasing the
rates to sharply reaction rate. Faster
decrease. molecules results in
more collisions and
bonds between
substrate molecules and
enzymes.

However, extreme high

temperatures may
denature the enzymes.
This is why the
temperature of enzymes
should be in the ideal
range.
E. Size of The reaction rate will The reaction rate will The enzyme and
container increase. decrease. substrate will be closer
to each other in a
smaller size, meaning
that they are more likely
to encounter each other
and react. This is why
small container sizes are
more likely to be
efficient in an activity.
F. pH Depends if the pH level Also depends if the pH is Basically, changing the
is lower or higher than lower or higher than the pH level causes the
the optimum pH (6-8 for range; the reaction rate molecules to ionize and
human enzymes); the increases as the pH affects the charges on
reaction rate increases level increases until amino acid molecules.
as the pH level reached the optimal The pH level highly
decreases until reaching range. When the pH affects an enzyme's
the optimum level. level increases past that shape, so high pH levels
When the pH level range, the reaction rate causes them to
decreases starting from will start to decrease. denature.
the range, the reaction
rate decreases.
 B. Choose two food samples and answer the Guide questions.

Sample A Sample B
Fullo® Chocolate Wafer Stick Hershey’s® Kisses Milk Chocolate

Guide Questions

1. How many servings are there in this container?

Sample A: 24
Sample B: 5

2. Would you agree that this is the reasonable amount of food you would consume per serving?
How many total food calories are in this container?

For Sample A, I think this is not a reasonable amount because most of us cannot consume
twenty-four pieces of wafer sticks, and just from the size of the container, the food is not
intended to be served to one person only, meaning that it is a shareable pack.

In one server, there are about 45 kcal, which I think is actually a good amount for a
chocolate, assuming that a single consumer doesn’t eat a lot of sticks.

Meanwhile in Sample B, I think this is not the reason amount of food consumed per
serving. As everyone knows, a pack of Hershey’s Kisses contains a lot of small chocolates
wrapped in a distinctive conical shape, and I think the number of servings should be
increased.

In one serving, there are 160 kcal, which is actually not a good amount for a small food.

3. How much fat is present in one serving? What kind of fat? What is the importance of
consuming fats in our body?

In Sample A, The packaging says that each serving contains about 1.5 g of total fat and 1
g of saturated fat.

In Sample B, The packaging at the back reads 10 grams of total fat and 5 grams of
saturated fat.

Though many think negatively of the word “fats”, it is actually essential since it provides
energy by being broken down into fatty acids. Fats also act as insulators not just to our
human body, but also almost all organisms on earth; This is why seals can survive in cold
temperatures.
4. How much carbohydrates are present in one serving? What kind of carbohydrates? What is the
importance of consuming carbohydrates in our body

For Sample A, the packaging says that each serving contains about 7 g of total
carbohydrate with 1 g of fibers and 1 g of sugars.

For Sample B, the nutrition facts at the back of the packaging reads 16 grams of total
carbohydrate with 1 gram of dietary fiber and 15 grams of total sugars.

Just like fats, carbohydrates also provide energy for the body. The difference between
carbohydrates and fats in terms of nutrition is that carbohydrates give instantaneous
energy through glucose. In other words, carbohydrates give a quick and instant source
of energy needed for any physical activity.

5. Decide on whether this food sample can be eaten often or sparingly and justify

Sample A:
Though chocolates may be unhealthy, I think wafers can be eaten often since 1.5 g of total
fat and 7 g of total carbohydrate are the right amount to be consumed into our body.
According to 2005 US Dietary Guidelines, the recommended daily intake of fat one should
consume should be 20% to 35% of one's day's calories, and 1.5 g of fat compared to the
total amount of fat an individual person intake every day is way lower than the 20%.

Sample B:
Chocolates like this one should be eaten sparingly. For almost all chocolates, with the
addition of the information from the Sample B's nutritional facts, they contain extra
calories, carbohydrates, and fat. This is why people are advised to do intense physical
activities after eating chocolate; Otherwise, a lot of excess calories, sugar, and fat will be
stored in the body as body fat.

C. Observation:
1. Cut the banana into small pieces and write down your observations
After about twenty minutes, the first thing that I've observed is that they turned brown.
This is due to a process known as oxidation where the oxygen in the air reacts with iron-
containing chemicals in the banana. Relating the activity to the lesson, the oxidation
reaction may be considered as what is known as enzymic browning. Such type of
oxidation reaction is possible due to several related enzymes oxidating the phenolic
substrates, forming the brown pigment for the banana.