Food Bioprocessing and Enzymology Quiz

Metabolism in a Cell

• Metabolism is the process of transformation of energy and matter in a cell.

Enzymes in Overcoming Energy Barriers

• Enzymes overcome the energy barrier for reactions by lowering the activation energy required for a reaction to occur.
• Enzymes act as biological catalysts, increasing the rates of biochemical reactions without being consumed by the reaction.

Free Energy Difference

• The difference in free energy between products and reactants in a reaction is represented by ΔG (delta G).

Effects of High Temperatures

• At excessively high temperatures, organic molecules can denature or become damaged.

Spontaneous Reactions

• Spontaneous reactions require a negative ΔG (delta G) to occur.
• Spontaneous reactions release energy and are thermodynamically favorable.

Enzymes in Lowering Activation Energy

• Enzymes lower the activation energy barrier for reactions, allowing the reaction to occur more efficiently.

Components of Metabolism

• The two main components of metabolism are catabolism (breakdown of molecules) and anabolism (synthesis of molecules).

Uphill Portion of Energy Profile

• The uphill portion of a reaction's energy profile represents the energy required to overcome the activation energy barrier.

Overcoming Energy Barriers

• Aside from increasing temperature, the energy of activation barrier can be overcome by using enzymes or increasing the concentration of reactants.