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Rennin is an enzyme found in the stomach of young mammals - HSC - SSCE Biology - Question 28 - 2014 - Paper 1
Question 28
Rennin is an enzyme found in the stomach of young mammals. Rennin curdles the milk drunk by the mammal and allows the milk solids to stay longer in the stomach to be... show full transcript
Worked Solution & Example Answer:Rennin is an enzyme found in the stomach of young mammals - HSC - SSCE Biology - Question 28 - 2014 - Paper 1
Step 1
Account for the students’ calculated average time for 300 bubbles of CO₂.
Answer
The average time for curdling at 300 bubbles of CO₂ is calculated by excluding the outlier from Trial 4, which recorded a time of 311 seconds. This value is significantly higher than the other times recorded and could skew the average. To ensure accuracy, it is crucial to average only the times that represent consistent enzyme activity.
Step 2
Explain the results of this experiment.
Answer
The results indicate that as the volume of CO₂ increases, the time taken for the milk to curdle generally decreases. This trend suggests that increased CO₂ can enhance enzyme activity, likely due to a decrease in pH which optimizes the environment for rennin's action. However, after around 250 bubbles, the rate of increase in enzyme activity begins to slow. This phenomenon can be attributed to the saturation point where further CO₂ does not enhance enzyme activity significantly, implying that the optimal conditions for rennin are achieved at lower CO₂ volumes.