Seventeen enzymes.
A world of discovery.
Meet the enzyme in nature, explore its chemistry and industrial uses, then plan a class experiment with controls and a clear observation window.
These are pilot teaching drafts. Short colour and indicator demonstrations target 5–10 minutes; solid-substrate digestion and some analytical methods take longer. Every guide gives a reaction window separately from the full activity time.
Watch starch disappear
Compare the iodine response of starch with and without amylase. Long starch chains give a dark iodine complex; as chains shorten, the sampled mixture can retain the iodine’s amber colour.
5–10 min target for a tuned reactionRead class guide →CATALASESee oxygen being released
Compare oxygen bubbles in a dilute peroxide solution with and without a small, pre-tuned catalase dose. A quick demonstration can lead into measuring a rate with appropriate apparatus.
Visible in seconds to 2 min; observe for 5 minRead class guide →LACTASEReveal the sugar in lactose
Treat a defined lactose solution with enzyme and use glucose-specific test strips to reveal a product. Milk can be an extension after its baseline glucose and matrix effects have been checked.
5–10 min target for a glucose-strip differenceRead class guide →PECTINASEMake more juice from an apple
Compare juice recovery from equal portions of finely processed apple. Enzyme and control receive identical mixing, warming and filtration.
10 min treatment target; filtration needs extra timeRead class guide →NEUTRAL PROTEASEWatch a cloudy protein mixture change
Use a dilute skimmed-milk suspension as a cloudy protein substrate. Compare light transmission in enzyme and control tubes at the same pH and temperature.
5–10 min clearing target after a pilot; allow 15–30 min if neededRead class guide →CELLULASECan enzymes help digest cardboard?
Compare matched cardboard squares in water on magnetic stirrers: enzyme versus no enzyme. Both flasks must have identical stirring. Use a faster soluble-cellulose viscosity comparison when the lesson needs a 5–10-minute demonstration.
Cardboard: first observations at 5–10 min; digestion may need hoursRead class guide →LIPASETrack fat breakdown with a colour indicator
Fatty acids released during milk-fat hydrolysis can reduce pH and change an indicator. A no-enzyme control is essential because enzyme formulation can itself affect pH.
5–10 min target after matching the working dilutionRead class guide →INVERTASETurn sucrose into detectable glucose
Compare glucose test-strip responses before and after treating a sucrose solution. This avoids assuming that sweetness is a laboratory measurement.
5–10 min target for a glucose-strip differenceRead class guide →PAPAINA plant enzyme that cuts proteins
Compare a dilute milk suspension with and without papain. Use milk clearing rather than gelatin melting: warm gelatin can liquefy without any enzyme.
5–10 min clearing target; a longer reaction may be neededRead class guide →GLUCOAMYLASERelease glucose from starch fragments
Use soluble maltodextrin or a pre-liquefied starch substrate and monitor glucose. Intact raw starch is a less reliable choice for a fast classroom endpoint.
5–10 min target with a compatible soluble substrateRead class guide →Β-AMYLASECompare how different amylases work
Compare β-amylase-treated soluble starch with a control using a school-approved reducing-sugar assay. Keep an iodine comparison as supporting evidence, not as a guaranteed complete disappearance endpoint.
5–10 min reaction target; analytical colour development is additionalRead class guide →XYLANASEReveal the hidden matrix in plant walls
Use a compatible commercial dyed-xylan substrate to turn hydrolysis into a measurable colour release. Untreated straw or cardboard is not a reliable 10-minute xylanase assay.
5–10 min observation target only if supported by the substrate methodRead class guide →Β-GLUCOSIDASEFinish a cellulose-derived sugar pathway
Compare glucose formation from a defined cellobiose solution with and without enzyme. This is a clearer short experiment than trying to see a solid piece of cellulose disappear.
5–10 min target for a glucose-strip differenceRead class guide →INULINASEExplore a different plant storage polymer
Compare a soluble inulin substrate with and without enzyme using a fructose-compatible or reducing-sugar assay. Glucose-specific strips are not a direct fructose readout.
10 min reaction target; visible assay development adds timeRead class guide →PULLULANASEFind the branch-point bonds
Use a commercial dyed-pullulan activity substrate. Colour release after hydrolysis is more direct than expecting a starch solution to show an obvious visible change.
5–10 min observation target only if the selected assay supports itRead class guide →GLUCOSE OXIDASEBuild the logic of a glucose sensor
Compare a glucose sample and a no-glucose control using an appropriate teaching assay that requires separately added glucose oxidase. A complete ready-made glucose assay may already contain glucose oxidase and would not test the supplied enzyme.
5–10 min colour target for a validated coupled assayRead class guide →LACCASEWatch an oxidation reaction turn green
Use a validated ABTS assay to compare colour formation with and without laccase. This creates a visible analytical reaction without promising that any household dye is a suitable substrate.
1–10 min colour target after pilot tuningRead class guide →