LQ: What is the role of enzymes?

Learning objectives:
1. State that enzymes are biological catalysts that play a
role in metabolic reactions

Name the 3 enzymes

looked at in digestion Global context:
Identities and Relationships
 Progress check 1- Can you
remember the names of all the parts
of the digestive system?

1.

4.
Mouth 2.
Small
Oesophagus
Intestine

3.
Stomach

5. 6.

Large Rectum
Intestine
 What are enzymes?
An enzyme is a biological catalyst. They
speed up reactions without being
used up or changed.

Different enzymes are added by the

digestive system at various stages.

There are different enzymes for different

functions.

Let’s look at the different enzymes which

breakdown food
http://www.kscience.co.uk/animations/anim_2.htm
 Substrate and Product
• The Substrate is what the enzyme works on

• The Product is what it makes

Active site –
where the
enzyme and
substrate
bind
How do enzymes work?
Activity 1- Create an enzyme storyboard.
Use they key words at the bottom of the
sheet to aid your drawing.
Differentiated worksheet- fill in the blanks
with the missing key word
Progress check 2- Answer the following
questions in your exercise books.
• What is a substrate?
• What is a product?
• What is the active site?
Digestive system enzymes

• In digestion, there are several enzymes, which aid the breakdown of

large food molecules into smaller soluble molecules.

• In the next activity, you will research three enzymes involved in

digestion.
 Activity 2- Draw table onto your books
and fill the table with the correct
information. Use slides 11-16
Enzyme Site of Substrate Product
Production
Amylase
 Enzymes and carbohydrate digestion

Carbohydrates are chains of identical sugar molecules.

The digestive enzymes called amylase break the chemical

bonds between the individual sugar molecules in each starch
chain.

amylase

Starch
molecule sugar
molecules
Protease
 Enzymes and protein digestion
Proteins are made up of amino acids. There are 20 different
types of amino acids.

Proteins are digested by digestive enzymes called proteases.

These enzymes work in an acidic environment to break
proteins into smaller amino acids.

protease

long amino acid

protein molecule molecules
Lipase
 Enzymes and fat digestion
Fats are digested in two stages:
 Firstly, bile (released by the gall bladder) allows the fat to
“mix” with water by breaking the fat into smaller droplets.
This is called emulsification.

bile

 Secondly, the digestive enzyme lipase breaks each fat

molecule into the smaller glycerol fatty acid molecules .

lipase +
fat molecule glycerol fatty
acids
Digestive Enzymes
Digestive enzymes activity
Progress check 3- Complete the worksheet
below to consolidate your understanding
of the topic.