The Importance Of Enzyme Kinetics

Enzymes are known as catalysts that cause reactions to occur more rapidly by lowering the reaction’s activation energy. A reaction’s activation energy is known as the minimum amount of energy required to get a chemical reaction started1. In order for cells to efficiently manage thousands of different chemical reactions, they make use of biological catalysts. Without these catalysts, biological reactions would not be able to proceed at a proper rate necessary to maintain life. Most, but not all, catalysts are made up of proteins that increase the rate of reactions within a system. Like most proteins, structure determines function. Therefore, the functionality of a catalyst depends heavily on how the proteins are folded2.
Enzyme kinetics is known as the study of how biological catalysts are able to increase the rate at which reactions are performed. Reaction rates are typically measured as the amount of products produced per unit of time for a single given concentration3. Enzyme kinetics can be affected by the concentration of the substrate, the presence of inhibitors, as well as changes in temperature, and in pH. A substrate is known as the substance that is catalyzed by an enzyme2. An increase in substrate concentration leads to an increase in product formation due to a greater amount …show more content…
An increase in the amount of GOx used leads to an increase in the GOx concentration in each different mixture. GOx is known to be a stable enzyme that oxidizes glucose into glucolactone while also converting oxygen into hydrogen peroxide5. The function of the GOx enzyme is mainly centered around the hydrogen peroxide production since hydrogen peroxide can be used to kill bacteria. For example, GOx is found on the surfaces of many fungi in order to protect against bacterial infections and is also found in honey, acting as a