Before
proceeding what are enzymes/ enzymes
are large biological molecules responsible for the thousands of chemical inter-conversion that sustain life. They
work by binding
to one or more specific molecules
called reactants or substrates.
Enzymes
can also be defined as the biological
catalyst that optimize cell activity while
minimizing the amount of energy needed to achieve a specific reaction.
Enzymes also energized protein molecule
found in every living cell and are necessary for life.
There
are over 2000 known enzymes, each of which is involved
with one specific chemical
reaction. In cells and organisms, most reactions ware catalyzed
by enzymes, which are regenerated ruing the course of a reaction. Biological
catalyst are physiologically important
because they speed up rate of reactions
that would otherwise be too
slow to support life. Our bodies naturally produce digestive and metabolic enzymes as they are needed
Specifically, the pancrease product enzymes that
break down foods into nutrients
the body can use for energy and other bodily functions
Classification of enzymes
The
names of enzymes often include the substrate or substance on which they act,
joined with an ase ending for example, lactase act upon lactose and
maltase acts on maltose to produce glucose. Sometimes they are
named for their reaction product, for example, sucrose is often called
invertase, becaue invertase as the
result of the reaction of
sucrose.
The
six classes fo enzymes according to the reaction they catalyse are
1. Oxidoreductases
2. Transferases
3. Hydrolases
4. Lyses
5. Isomerases
6. Ligases
Examples
1. Alcohol dehydrogenate,: This is an oxidoreductase that converts alcohols
to aldehydes and ketones
2. Amino
transferates: transferases catalyzing
the aminio acid degradation by removing
amino groups
3. Pyruvate
decarbotylase: a lyase tht removes co2 from pyruvate
Types of enzymes
The types
enzymes include: a. simple enzymes: theses are enzymes composed
completely of proteins.
Complex enzymes: these
are those composed of protein and a
small organic molecules also known as holenzymes
The enzymes categorized by their function include:
1. Metabolic
enzymes: this catalyze and regulate every biochemical reaction that
occurs in our body and
essential to cellular function and
health
2. Digestive
enzymes: these are secreted along
digestive tract which break down food into nutrients and waste, and allow the nutrients a found in foods to be absorbed into the blood stream
3. Food enzymes which enter the body through the
consumption of raw foods cooking and processing destroys most of enzymes of
food
4. Plant
based enzymes :these are synthetically
grown which help to break down facts, proteins and carbohydrates and
function with a broad
ph range
5. Protoplytic
enzymes: they are nzymes that digest proteins, trypsin, chymotrypsin, pancreatin etc
IMPORTANT OF ENZYMES
The
presence of enzymes in the improve helath and over all performance
they include
a. Necessary
for celicular function
b. Essential
for complete digestion and nutrient absorption
c. Helpful
in fighting free radicals
d. Useful
in supporting liver detoxification
e. Breakdown
of starches and proteins
f. It
help to stabilizer and clarify commercial fruit juice