Question

At the “Kitchen Chemistry” booth, culinary students are demonstrating how meat tenderizer (which contains protein-breaking enzymes) makes milk curdle and thicken within minutes, while plain milk in an identical container stays completely liquid even after 30 minutes. What fundamental property of enzymes does this side-by-side comparison demonstrate?
Question 9 options:

Enzymes require high temperatures to break down proteins effectively in food preparation


Enzymes work primarily to slow down biological reactions like milk curdling in living systems

Enzymes are highly specific - protein-breaking enzymes only work on protein bonds, not other types

Enzymes work equally well on all types of molecules, regardless of their chemical structure

Answer 1

Enzymes are highly specific - protein-breaking enzymes only work on protein bonds, not other types.

Explanation: The tenderizer contains proteases that specifically cleave milk proteins (causing curdling). The plain milk doesn’t curdle because that specific catalytic activity isn’t present — demonstrating enzyme specificity (and catalysis of that reaction).