How are you going to eat this soup? An enzyme could help you….

“What’s an enzyme” you ask?... In this case, it’s kind of like a can opener.

In a “science-y” sense, enzymes help along the reactions that take place in your body. So things in your body may change because of this, but the enzyme itself isn’t changed. The enzyme can help put things together… … or it can help break things apart.

Let’s watch enzymes in action: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CZD5xsOKres

Enzymes are necessary for: Photosynthesis Respiration Fermentation

Photosynthesis C6H12O6 + 6O2 6CO2 + 6H20 (glucose is the main product, oxygen is the “waste”) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C1_uez5WX1o

So where does he get the energy to walk, to whistle, to live?...

Respiration Put simply, this plus this gives you energy, known as ATP. + = ATP O2 (energy)

get the energy out of your food. This is the chemical equation for respiration: C6H12O6 + 6O2 6CO2 + 6H2O + ATP (energy) Basically, you breathe because you need that oxygen in order for the chemical reaction to happen where you get the energy out of your food.

(except plants came first, really). CO2 O2 It’s kind of like the chicken and the egg – we need them and they need us (except plants came first, really).

So what happens if you’re breathing, but just not getting enough oxygen?... Fermentation

C6H12O6 CO2 + ATP + lactic acid or alcohol (energy) So in fermentation, you still start with glucose (food/sugar), but there’s no O2 available. A chemical reaction still happens, but instead of producing CO2 and H2O, there’s other stuff that’s produced, too: lactic acid or alcohol.

For human beings, you’re still breathing out some CO2 and H2O For human beings, you’re still breathing out some CO2 and H2O. But if your body is also producing lactic acid and it builds up in your body, what happens?

However, if you’re not a human, but instead you’re a bacteria, well, we WANT you to be doing fermentation. Why? Because the lactic acid you produce adds flavor to lots of foods we like. When bacteria take the sugar in milk and break it down to release energy?... Well, that gives us these….

What if you’re not a human and not a bacteria, but you’re a fungus What if you’re not a human and not a bacteria, but you’re a fungus? Well, you still do fermentation. But you may not produce lactic acid, you produce alcohol. Do you like bread? Thank the fungus called yeast. While the little fungi called yeast are respiring into your dough, they release CO2 just like you. Those bubbles are what makes the dough rise. The alcohol they produce? That “burns off” when you bake your bread.