Enzyme action
In this activity, students investigate the effect that fruit purees (pineapple, kiwifruit, peach) have on the setting of party jellies.
By the end of this activity, students should be able to:
describe the action of proteolytic enzymes found in some fresh fruit purees on gelatine
name the proteolytic enzymes found in pineapple (bromelin) and kiwifruit (actinidin)
explain the temperature sensitivity of these enzymes
extrapolate the findings of this activity to the effect raw sliced kiwifruit has on pavlova
understand why a fresh pineapple piece held in the mouth for a minute or so can lead to a feeling of discomfort.
Download the Word file (see link below) for:
introduction/background notes
what you need
what to do
student worksheets.
Related content
The article Catalysing chemical reactions with enzymes includes an animated video outlining in detail how enzymes work.
See our Enzymes Pinterest board for more resource ideas.
