Abstract

BRIEF REVIEW ON ENZYME ACTIVITY

*Michele Vitolo

Abstract

Currently, enzymes are largely employed in industry, analytical procedures, and as medicine. They are highly specific catalysts for presenting in their structure an active site in which a particular substrate is converted into a product. The successful use of enzymes, mainly in industry, depends on a balance between the amount of enzyme needed, operation conditions, and reaction yields. Nevertheless, the development of the immobilization technique allowed reducing the amount of enzymes needed in a process due to catalyst recycling. The simplest math model for quantifying the enzyme activity is v = [(S.Vmax)  (KM + S)]. The activity is affected by pH, temperature, agitation, presence or absence of inhibitors, activators, and/or stabilizers.

Keywords: Enzymes, kinetics, immobilization.