In this activity, students investigate the effect that fruit purees (pineapple, kiwifruit, peach) have on the setting of party jellies.
By the end of this activity, students should be able to:
- describe the action of proteolytic enzymes found in some fresh fruit purees on gelatine
- name the proteolytic enzymes found in pineapple (bromelin) and kiwifruit (actinidin)
- explain the temperature sensitivity of these enzymes
- extrapolate the findings of this activity to the effect raw sliced kiwifruit has on pavlova
- understand why a fresh pineapple piece held in the mouth for a minute or so can lead to a feeling of discomfort.
Download the Word file (see link below) for:
- introduction/background notes
- what you need
- what to do
- student worksheets.
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The article Catalysing chemical reactions with enzymes includes an animated video outlining in detail how enzymes work.
See our Enzymes Pinterest board for more resource ideas.