Rate of Denaturation of Enzymes in Egg WhitesAmber SuhWini HensonNaomie HerpinMichelle Huang

Background Information Eggs are the biggest representations of cells we

use daily Consumed for their richness in essential

substances we need Egg whites contain a multitude of protein

enzymes which makes them exemplary material for investigating enzyme denaturation

Research QuestionHow does temperature affect the rate of denaturation of the egg white of a chicken egg?

Hypothesis

The higher the temperature, the faster the denaturation of enzymes in the egg white.

VariablesVariable Type of Variable

Temperature Independent Variable

Rate Dependent Variable

Egg Whites Controlled Variable

Surface Area of Egg Controlled Variable

Water Bath Controlled

Additional Information Egg whites Temperature range Starting temperature

Relation to Household Science Eggs are common foods in the household

Eggs are a great source of proteins that are easy to denature

By doing this experiment, we can find the optimum temperature to cook eggs

Experiment Overview/Method1. Set the water bath to 50-60C. Secure test tube

rack into water bath. 2. Crack 5 eggs open and carefully separate the egg

yolk from the white.3. Measure 1mL of egg white into individual vials.4. Put vial into water and immediately time using

stopwatch. 5. Record time it takes for the egg to change color

completely.6. Repeat steps 1-5 for temperature ranges 60-70,

70-80, 80-90, 90-100.

Materials

Results: Raw DataTime (min)

Temperature Range (± 1°C) Trial 1 Trial 2 Trial 3 Trial 4 Trial 5

51-60 7:25:06 8:01:57 7:31:04 7:52:22 8:05:79

61-70 3:11:77 3:18:27 3:28:88 3:15:47 2:41:68

71-80 2:07:67 2:06:31 2:13:65 2:15:68 2:03:23

81-90 1:08:76 1:24:40 1:24:21 1:33:56 1:40:06

91-100 0:56:31 0:55:41 0:57:13 0:58:07 0:57:50

Results: Processed Data

Temperature Range (± 1°C) Averaged Time (min)

51-60 7:51:1461-70 3:11:2171-80 2:09:3181-90 1:26:2091-100 0:56:88

Data Analysis

1 2 3 4 50

1

2

3

4

5

6

7

8

Time vs Temperature for Denaturation of Egg White

Temperature Range (±1C)

Tim

e (±

0.08

min

)

Data Analysis

50 55 60 65 70 75 80 85 90 95 1000

1

2

3

4

5

6

7

8

R² = 0.983325475086578

Rate of Denaturation of Egg White

Temperature (±1C)

Tim

e (±

0.08

min

)

Conclusion Enzymes have optimum temperature at which

they operate An increase in temperature causes the rate of

denaturation to increase. There is a causal relationship between an increase

of temperature and rate of denaturation.