Question

In the pineapple lab, we tested fresh, frozen, and canned pineapple. The fresh and frozen pineapple had an active enzyme that broken Jello into liquid. The canned pineapple, which was heated up in the canning process, did NOT break the Jello down. The enzymes were destroyed by the heat.

What did this teach us about enzymes?

Responses

Thy work better at some pHs than others
Thy work better at some pHs than others

They work better at some temperatures than others.

Answer 1

The experiment you conducted with the pineapple and Jello demonstrates that **enzymes work better at some temperatures than others**. The active enzyme in fresh and frozen pineapple was able to break down Jello, indicating that it is effective at the temperatures present in your experiment. However, the heating process during canning destroyed the enzymes, which prevented them from functioning properly. This shows that enzymes have an optimal temperature range for their activity and that high temperatures can denature (destroy) them, rendering them ineffective.