Amylase breaks down starches into usable energy and is present in saliva, plant leaves, and seeds. Experiments involve exposing the enzyme to different temperatures and testing seeds for amylase content. Cold and boiling water slow down amylase function, and fresh and partially germinated seeds often show the highest amounts of amylase.
The enzyme amylase is present in saliva, plant leaves and plant seeds. Its job is to break down starches into usable energy. In humans and animals, starches in foods are broken down before leaving the mouth to make them easier to digest. In plant leaves, amylase breaks down nutrients that have been converted into starch by photosynthesis. Seeds often contain very high amounts of amylase because seeds require so much energy during germination. Amylase experiments involve exposing the enzyme to different temperatures and experimenting with seeds to see which ones contain the highest amount of amylase.
Although amylase works easily in the warm mouths of animals and humans, this function can be slowed down by extreme heat or cold. To see how much heat or cold the enzyme can handle, scientists can sprinkle an amylase solution on starchy foods and expose them to different temperatures. Food can be white rice, torn pieces of white bread, crackers, or even cornmeal. The scientist generally distributes the starchy food among four different test tubes. A few drops of amylase solution are added to each tube.
The scientist then fills three glasses half full of water. He or she places a glass over a heat source, bringing the water to a boil. A second glass goes into the refrigerator to chill for an hour or two. The third full glass of water is left at room temperature, while a fourth glass remains empty. When all beakers have been prepared, the scientist gently inserts a test tube into each and waits up to 15 minutes.
When the time is up, the scientist drops a little iodine into each tube and waits about three minutes. If the starchy food turns purple, it means the amylase hasn’t converted the starches in the food because the iodine only turns the starches purple. If the food stays white, the amylase has done its job. Most amylase experiments reveal that cold and boiling water slow down the function of amylase. If the scientist checks the purple food after another 20 minutes, it may turn white again. This means that the amylase is starting to work again when it returns to a medium temperature.
Some tests reveal how long the seeds retain their amylase. These amylase experiments require the scientist to obtain petri dishes of agar-agar and some starchy seeds, such as corn kernels. One quarter of the grains should be extremely fresh, while another quarter should be freshly dried. The third quarter must be kept warm for a week to favor germination, while the fourth and last quarter must be dried and aged for at least one year.
To perform the experiment, the scientist cuts up to 10 seeds of each category in half and places each type in their own petri dish. The seeds should be spaced about 1 inch (2 cm) apart. The dishes should be corked overnight. The next morning, the scientist removes the seeds from the dishes and floods them with iodine.
After rinsing the dishes in cold water, the scientist can see which dishes have turned purple and which are clear. Purple indicates amylase is inactive, while clear plates indicate amylase is present and functional. Fresh and partially germinated seeds often show the highest amounts of amylase, although some dry and older seeds can also contain high amounts. It may be necessary to repeat amylase experiments like this one to get valid results.
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