Week 3 Midweek Assignment: Enzymes

Using Jell-o and Fruit to Demonstrate Enzymatic Activity

Materials

     1 package of gelatin – any brand or flavor (If you cannot use a cow or pig-based gelatin for any reason, try using a vegan gelatin based on agar-agar or carrageenan.)

·       3 Styrofoam or plastic cups

·       Small amount of fresh pineapple, kiwi, papaya, mango, or figs (must be fresh)

·       Canned pineapple, fruit cocktail, or boiled (for at least 5 minutes) pineapple, kiwi, papaya, mango or figs

Procedure

 

Prepare for the lab by first filling out the table in the Background section (following the Procedure section).

 

Prepare the gelatin as directed on the package.

 

After preparing the gelatin, pour equal amounts into each of your three cups.

 

Label cup 1 as control. Do not add anything to the cup.

 

Label cup 2 fresh fruit and add several chunks of the fresh fruit to the cup.

 

Label cup 3 canned fruit, and add several chunks of canned pineapple, several spoonfuls of fruit cocktail, or several pieces of boiled fruit.

 

Complete your Hypothesis on the next page.

 

Place the cups in the refrigerator and leave until the gelatin in the control cup has set.

 

Remove cups from the refrigerator.

 

Get a piece of paper and write your name and UAG student ID on it. Place the paper next to the cups. Then take a picture of the cups with the paper clearly showing.

 

Complete the Data Table on the next page, insert or paste your picture in the Evidence section, and answer the questions.

Background

 

To prepare for the lab, fill out the following table. Questions you are to answer are in the left column. Do a search either in your reading materials or on the internet to answer the questions. In the column Source, write down or provide a link to the source which provided the answer. In the Quote column, copy and paste what the source says which answers the question. In the Your Paraphrase column, write the answer to the question in your own words. You will probably only need only one or two sentences for each answer.

 

Question

Source

Quote

Your Paraphrase

What is the
main ingredient in gelatin? 

 

 

 

What is a
protease, and what does it do?

 

 

 

What fruits
contain protease?

 

 

 

What happens
to an enzyme when it is heated to a very high temperature?

 

 

 

Hypothesis

 

Do you think that the gelatin in all the cups will set?  Why or why not?

 

Data Table

 

Materials

Specific Material Used

Gelatin used
(animal, vegetarian – agar, carrageenan, etc.)

(Type in
here what gelatin you used: animal or vegetarian. If vegetarian, what was
the gelatin using? Agar, carrageenan, etc.)

Fresh fruit

(Type in
here what fresh fruit you used.)

Canned/boiled
fruit

(Type in
here what kind of canned fruit or boiled fruit that you used.)

Cup

Condition of Gelatin After
Refrigeration

1 – Control

 

 

2 – Fresh fruit

 

 

3 – Canned fruit

 

 

 

Evidence

 

Insert the picture you took of your cups after refrigeration.  Make sure the picture includes a piece of paper with your name and UAG student number clearly legible.

Conclusions (Write in complete sentences.)

 

1.     Was your hypotheses correct?  Explain.

 

 

2.     Which cup(s) did not gel?  Explain why.

 

 

3.     Does the way that the fruit is prepared make a difference in the gelatin? Explain. Be thorough.