FDSC 200 Lecture Notes - Lecture 9: Stock Transfer Agent, Sucrase, Enzyme

• School: McGill University
• Department: Food Science
• Course: FDSC 200
• Professor: Lawrence Goodridge

Document Summary

An enzyme is a specialized protein that speeds up or starts a chemical reaction without being changed by the reaction. Allows chemical reactions in the cells to happen fast enough to meet the body"s needs. Thousands of enzymes are in a cell, each having a unique function: enzymes are specialized catalysts: A catalyst is a substance that speeds up a reaction between substances without being affected by the reaction. Enzymes are a group of proteins that act as catalysts. Since enzymes do not change during chemical reactions, cells only need a low concentration of many different enzymes. Activation energy is the energy needed to start a reaction. Enzymes lower the amount of energy needed to start a reaction. Digestive enzymes decrease the amount of heat energy needed during digestion. Enzymes are specific to the compounds with which they will react: how enzymes work: The enzyme is compared to the key of a lock.