Revision- Enzymes

• Enzymes break large food molecules into smaller nutrients that can be absorbed (through the intestinal walls). 
• Different foods have different chemicals joined together so they need different enzymes, eg some enzymes break protein and some break lipids.
• Different areas of the digestive system have different conditions (eg acidic and alkaline) so different enzymes are needed.
• Digestion occurs much more quickly with enzymes.
• Digestive enzymes are proteins that have special shapes with an active site that allow them to act as catalysts when food is broken down.
• Each different enzyme can catalyse only one specific reaction. eg lipase can only break lipids in to glycerol and 3 fatty acids. Amylase can only break starch to maltose.
• The enzymes are not used up in the reaction.
• Each enzyme has an optimum environmental condition (temperature and pH) in which its activity is the highest rate.