Question

Complete the sentence choosing from the following words:

catalyse, denatured, digest, soluble, insoluble, energise, excreted, ingested

Digestion is the process of breaking down large food molecules into smaller molecules that are ________ .
Enzymes help to break down food because they ________
chemical reactions.
If the temperature of an enzyme gets too high, the enzyme is ________ .

Answer 1

1. Soluble

2. Catalyze

3. Denatured

Step-by-step explanation:

1. We eat in order to obtain energy. However, this food is often in a complex state and needs to be broken down into its simplest form. The process of digestion ensures this occurs in living organisms. Digestion is the process of breaking down large food molecules into a much more simpler molecule that can be passed on to the blood stream for absorption by cells. These simpler molecules must be SOLUBLE in water for them to be transported into each cell via the bloodstream.

2. The breaking down of food molecules described above is facilitated by certain proteinous chemical agents called ENZYMES. Enzymes are biological catalysts i.e. they help speeden up the rate of biochemical reactions in living systems. In the case of digestion, specific enzymes chemically acts on specific food molecules. For example, amylase acts on carbohydrates, protease acts on proteins etc.

3. As stated above that enzymes are proteinous, it means they possess the characteristics of proteins. One of those characteristics is the ability to get denatured by increase in temperature. High temperature causes an enzyme to lose its specific 3D shape, affecting its functionality. Hence, the enzyme is said to be DENATURED.