Experiment on digestion

Here are the solutions to the questions:

10. Experiment on digestion

a) How does partially germinated maize differ from ungerminated maize?
Partially germinated maize has begun to break down its stored starch into simpler sugars (like maltose and glucose) due to the activation of enzymes such as amylase. Ungerminated maize primarily contains starch as its main carbohydrate store.

b) Give a reason for keeping the water at 37°C.
The temperature of 37°C is the optimum temperature for the activity of human digestive enzymes like pepsin and protease. At this temperature, the enzymes will function most efficiently, leading to the fastest rate of protein digestion.

c) The students observed that the proteins using the contents of the partially germinated maize after 15 minutes. Suggest the conclusions made.
The observation implies that the proteins in the partially germinated maize were digested. The conclusion is that the proteolytic enzymes (pepsin and protease) successfully broke down the proteins present in the maize into smaller peptides or amino acids. This demonstrates the action of these enzymes on their protein substrate.

d) Name one product in the experiment.
One product of protein digestion by pepsin and protease is peptides or amino acids.

11. Explain why some people tend to take protein with water.
People often take protein with water to facilitate its dissolution and absorption in the digestive system. Water also helps in hydration, which is crucial for metabolic processes, and aids in the overall digestion of the protein.