Enzyme

An enzyme (from Greek énsimo (??????), formed by én = at or in and simo = leaven or yeast) is a protein that catalyzes, or speeds up, a chemical reaction.

Etymology and history

The word comes from Greek: "in leaven".

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As early as the late-1700s and early-1800s, the digestion of meat by stomach secretions and the conversion of starch to sugars by plant extracts and saliva were observed.

Related Topics:
1700s - 1800s - Meat

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Studying the fermentation of sugar to alcohol by yeast, Louis Pasteur came to the conclusion that this fermentation was catalyzed by "ferments" in the yeast, which were thought to function only in the presence of living organisms.

Related Topics:
Fermentation - Louis Pasteur - Ferments

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In 1897, Hans and Eduard Buchner inadvertently used yeast extracts to ferment sugar, despite the absence of living yeast cells. They were interested in making extracts of yeast cells for medical purposes, and, as one possible way of preserving them, they added large amounts of sucrose to the extract. To their surprise, they found that the sugar was fermented, even though there were no living yeast cells in the mixture. The term "enzyme" was used to describe the substance(s) in yeast extract that brought about the fermentation of sucrose.

Related Topics:
1897 - Hans - Eduard Buchner

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An example of an enzyme would be amylase

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