Food Science at home

Learn about enzymes: what they are, how they work and investigate the specific enzyme involved in enzymic browning, including an experiment at home.

This activity will teach the following key skills:

  • Experimental procedure
  • Mathematics
  • Problem Solving
  • Independent learning

GCSE Food Technology pupils will learn about enzymic browning and get some ideas about how to prevent it.

We explain the science clearly for all ages, including the following subjects from the GCSE curriculum:
  • Enzymes
  • The pH scale
  • How temperature and pH affect enzyme reactions
These videos and resources produced by the National Centre for Biotechnology Education. The NCBE is based on the University of Reading campus and provide scientific resources and practical kits to schools.

We support teachers and technicians in providing hands on practical activities to their students for microbiology and biology topics.

The Videos

Learn about the theory of enzymes: what they are, how they work, and examples of specific enzymes.

Explore Polyphenol oxidase as the enzyme that leads to browning in fruits and vegetables, and helps you plan your browning experiment.

Finally, set up your own enzymatic browning experiment, using apples or potatoes.

Handout

This pdf contains details about the video, including all the things you will need for the practical, and a glossary of the complicated terms.

Download PDF