Fruits Eat Jell-O: The Effects of Acids and Bases on Fruit Protease Activity

Overview

Objectives/Goals My project was to determine if acids and bases have an effect on the protease activity in certain fruits. I believe the protease activity will be higher in an acidic environment than in a basic environment. Methods/Materials I made extracts of pineapple, kiwi, and papaya, which are known to have proteases. To measure the activity of the proteases, I poured Jell-O into petri dishes and made holes in the Jell-O with straws. I poured extracts in the holes and measured the increase in the size of the hole after six hours. To test the effects of acids and bases I also measured protease activity with plates made of Jell-O with vinegar or baking soda added. I used pH paper to measure the pH of the Jell-O. Results All three fruits made the Jell-O hole bigger. The activity of all three proteases was best in acidic environments and was lower in basic environments. When I compared kiwi and pineapple extracts closely, I found that pineapple protease was more active in basic environments than the kiwi protease. Conclusions/Discussion I concluded that most proteases are more active in acidic environments. This may be because fruits contain a lot of acids, such as citric acid, and so proteases have to work in these conditions.

Competition history

• CSEF 2012 Biochemistry/ Molecular Biology · Entry J0516

Resources

• CSEF project summary ↗

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