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Catechol Oxidase Lab Report

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In the presence of oxygen, catechol oxidase catalyze the removal of hydrogen electrons from catechol. Catechol is found in certain plants and is converted to benzoquinone, a pigment that is responsible for the browning of the surface (Schultz, 2006). This enzyme functions as a defense mechanism. Catechol oxidase is a naturally occurring antiseptic which protects damaged plants and vegetables against disease. This enzyme can be found in a variety of foods such as apricots, pears, bananas, mushrooms, and lettuce (Hawley, 2007). This experiment will examine for the presence of catechol oxidase in three particular foods: sweet potatoes, apples, and pears. Is catechol oxidase present in sweet potatoes, apples, and pears? This experiment hopes to address the question, is catechol oxidase present in apples, pears, and not sweet potatoes? The alternate hypothesis is catechol oxidase is present in sweet potatoes but not …show more content…
Approximately 30 gram of each type of food and 150 ml of distilled water were added to a kitchen blender. Each time, the products were and blended for approximately two minutes. The final solution was filtered through layers of cheese cloth. The extract was stored in a clean, capped container.
Before starting the experiment, the spectrophotometer was turned on about 15 minutes in advance. The spectrophotometer was calibrated to 540 nm wavelength. This can be controlled using the wavelength knob. The spectrophotometer was then adjusted to read 0% transmittance. When doing this, make sure the sample cover is close. A blank cuvette and clean (no finger prints) was then place into the spectrophotometer. This blank cuvette functioned at the control. Unlike the sample cuvettes, this cuvette does not contain catechol oxidase. Other controls in this experiment were volume, temperature, ph., and time at which transmittance was

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