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What do your results mean when you consider the original question or hypothesis? Point out the significance of your results. If the results are unexpected or contradictory, you should attempt to explain why. Be sure to point out possible avenues for further research.
In which part of the human body does Lactase function best? (Based on pH of environment.)
The purpose of this experiment was to determine the pH level in which Lactase is most active, given that different parts of the human digestive system have different evironmental pHs. According to our results, Lactase was most active in solutions with a pH of 6. Our original hypothesis was proven correct, allowing us to conclude that the Lactase enzyme is found predominantly in the small intestines of the human body where the environment ranges between pH 6 and 7.
To take our results a step further, we are also able to theorize that conditions such as Lactose Intolerance could potentially be caused by secondary diseases that affect the lining of the small intestines where the Lactase enzyme is shown to be located.
Lactase is an enzyme in the human body that catalyzes the breakdown of lactose, a disaccharide found in dairy products. When digested, lactose breaks down into glucose and galactose first. Lactase is used because lactose is much too big for the human body to tackle on its own, and the chances of the reaction occurring on its own are low due to the activation energy needed. Furthermore, lactase relies on a certain environment to work in, needing the perfect temperature and pH. Without them, it’ll become denatured and won’t be able to break down the sugar, making the human body lactose intolerant, which renders it unable to consume dairy products. Previous experiments have been done looking at how changes in pH and temperature affect enzymes, including lactase from Occidental College and the University of Southern Carolina. We will be using their experiments as a start to help guide us in our own work and how we can make ours more accurate.
Describe the results clearly. Use graphs, tables and charts to help clarify the results. Include a discussion on the statistics you use to describe or test your data. Save any conclusions for the DISCUSSION.
We predict that lactase will function best at a pH between 6 and 7 because we think lactase is located in the small intestine. We believe this is its location because of the bloating and cramps people feel in their abdomen when they are lactose-intolerant. Our research has yielded a variation in the reported optimal pH for lactase. The range appears to be somewhere between 2 and 7, making our hypothesis plausible.
We could have changed a few things within our experiment. The pH packets had a specific temperature where it would be at its most optimal, which was 37 degrees Celsius. We used with the room temperature at the time which was 72 degrees Fahrenheit (22.2 degrees Celsius). This was still an ideal temperature but it could have been better. In the future, heating the pH solution to a temperature of 37C will further increase the accuracy of our experiment. Also, our Tes-Tape strips were only ranked by shades of color with somewhat large intervals. If we had used a different resource to measure the glucose production, we could have had more specific results and numbers. Lastly, for the lactose, we used organic milk. The only issue is that there are so many different types of milk ranging from goats' milk to 2% cow milk and everything in between. The different types might have produced slightly different results pertaining to how much glucose was produced. We could have done more trials with other types of milk to offer a wider range of results.
This section should include two sections: Materials and Procedures (Methods) in sufficient detail so that others can repeat your research.
Set up 6 beakers, each one containing 50 mL of a solution of a different pH (2, 4, etc.). One beaker will have distilled water (pH ~7); this will serve as a control, since 7 is a neutral pH. Record the temperature of the beakers, if a thermometer is available. Ideally, the temperature should be around 72 degrees Fahrenheit (22.2 degrees Celsius) or higher. (Optimal temperature is around 37 degrees Celsius.)
Add 2 mL of lactose (milk) to each beaker. Stir well.
Next, use a mortar and pestle to crush the Lactaid tablets. Stir the crushed Lactaid tablet into water until dissolved.
Add1 mL of the crushed Lactaid tablet solution to each beaker. Allow the solutions to sit for 10 minutes.
Put a Tes-Tape strip in each of the beakers to determine the glucose concentration. The strip will change color based on the amount of glucose in the solution.
Record the color of each strip. Take a picture with a cell phone for better data.
Allegany Nutrition - The Enzyme Specialists | Human. (n.d.). Retrieved December 6, 2015, from http://www.alleganynutrition.com/index.php?Human body pic
Ho, J. (2009, April 2). The Effect of pH on Lactase. Retrieved December 6, 2015, from https://www.usc.edu/CSSF/History/2009/Projects/S0410.pdf
Lactase Enzyme Lab. (2011, June 28). Retrieved December 6, 2015, from http://www.oxy.edu/sites/default/files/assets/TOPS/AmylasePrePost-Lactase.pd
Monitoring your Body's PH levels. (n.d.). Retrieved December 6, 2015, from http://altered-states.net/barry/update178/
Siskin, T. (n.d.). The Effects of PH and Temperature on Enzyme Activity of Lactase on Lactose. Retrieved December 6, 2015, from http://education.seattlepi.com/effects-ph-temperature-enzyme
-activity-lactase-lactose-7034.html
pH of the solution (variable) Color of Strip (Observations)
2 very slightly greenish, but more
yellow (little glucose)
6 most green of all the solutions
(most glucose)
8 less green than 6 & 7 but still
green (some glucose)
10 did not work at all (yellow,
lactase denatured)
7 (control) second most green (some
glucose)
The experiment portrays qualitative data. Each Tes-Tape strip shows a different shade of green that goes accordingly with a pH. The color was attained after a ten minute time period in a pH solution. The darker the green meant that more glucose was produced with the specific pH. The two trial pictures exhibit the shades of green for each pH after ten minutes. Our data table connects it all, showing which pH produced the most glucose.
Independent Variable: the pH of each beaker
Dependent Variable: the amount of glucose produced
Control Group: the beaker with the pH of 7
Experimental Group: each individual beaker with a different pH