Explain the effect of the following factors on enzyme activity: (i) Temperature (ii) pH.
Temperature: An enzyme is active within a narrow range of temperature. The temperature at which an enzyme shows its highest activity is called optimum temperature. It generally corresponds to the body temperature of warm blood animals e.g., 37°C in human beings. Enzyme activity decreases above and below this temperature. Enzyme becomes inactive below minimum temperature and beyond maximum temperature. Low temperature present inside cold storage prevents spoilage of food. High temperature destroys enzymes by causing their denaturation. pH – Every enzyme has an optimum pH when it is most effective. A rise or fall in pH reduces enzyme activity by changing the degree of ionisation of its side chains. A change in pH may also reverse the reaction. Most of the intracellular enzymes function near-neutral pH with the exception of several digestive enzymes which work either in acidic range of pH or alkaline range of pH. pH for trypsin is 8.5.
