Laboratory 6: Lactase Enzyme Lab ReportIntroductionEnzymes are types of proteins that act as a substance to help speed up a chemical reaction (Madar & Windelspecht, 104). There are three factors that contribute to the increased rate of enzyme activity. The three factors that accelerate enzyme activity are concentration, increased temperature, and a preferred pH environment. Whether or not the reaction continues does not depend on the enzyme, rather the reaction depends on the free energy of the reaction. These enzymatic reactions involve reagents called substrates. Enzymes do much more than create substrates; the enzymes actually work with the substrate in a reaction (Madar & Windelspecht, 106). For reactions in a cell, it is important that a specific enzyme is present during the process. For example, lactase must be able to collaborate with lactose in order to break it down (Madar & Windelspecht, 105). Lactase, a type of enzyme usually found in the small intestine, breaks down lactose into sugars such as galactose and glucose. People with lactose intolerance cannot eat anything containing dairy because they cannot break down lactose, a sugar found in milk. Those who are lactose intolerant lack the enzyme lactase. Without lactase, the body does not have the ability to break down lactose, leading to stomach upset and diarrhea. Adults are more likely to be lactose intolerant than children due to the metabolic change in the body (Dritsas). The lack of lactase that people suffer from can be compensated for by taking pills to help break down the lactose consumed; with the help of a lactase pill, the body can now properly absorb galactase and glucose (McCracken, 481). The purpose of the following...... middle of paper ...... remains the same at 4ºC and 25ºC. The end result of this experiment was that glucose was more present in higher temperature environments. Our assumptions and predictions were wrong because lower temperatures do not break down enzymes because they are denatured. Enzyme activity also decreases as temperature decreases. Enzyme activity increases as temperature increases, which is why lactose is broken down at much higher temperatures, resulting in high glucose.ReferencesDritsas, Lawrence. (2013). Physiology and dairy market. Financial Times, 1: 10. McCracken, Robert D. (1971). Lactase deficiency: an example of dietary evolution. Current Anthropology, 12(4-5): 481. Madar, Sylvia S. and Windelspecht, Michael. (2014). Survey of life, metabolism: energy and enzymes (pp. 104-107). New York: McGraw Hill.