Enzymes in Action – Science Adventure with my Mom!

Hey guys! I just did the Enzymes in Action class at the Cold Spring Harbor DNA Learning Center, and it was so fun. My Mom and I attended the class and we had such a great time learning about how enzymes are some awesome bacteria!

What Are Enzymes?

Before the workshop, I didn’t totally understand what enzymes were. Now I know they’re proteins that catalyze (or speed up) chemical reactions in cells. Basically, they help things happen faster—like breaking down food or making things your body needs. But enzymes aren’t just in our bodies—they’re also used in the food industry to help make stuff like cheese, juice, and lactose-free milk. So yeah, enzymes are kind of a big deal.

Time to Experiment!

We did three main experiments, and they were all hands-on (and a little messy in a good way):

• Cheese-Making: We took regular milk, added an enzyme, and watched it turn into curds. Then we strained out the liquid to make actual cheese. It was super cool to see how fast it changed once the enzyme was added. I didn’t think making cheese would be that easy!

• Lactose-Free Milk: We added a enzyme to regular milk that breaks down lactose (the sugar in milk). That’s how lactose-free milk is made! It was awesome to actually make it ourselves instead of just reading about it.

• Apple Juice Test: This was one of my favorite parts. We tested how fast applesauce could be turned into apple juice using either an industrial method or enzymes. The enzymes totally won—they made more juice and did it way faster. It was wild to see how powerful enzymes can be.

I learned so much and had a great time doing real experiments. If you ever get the chance to go to the DNA Learning Center, I recommend it. You’ll learn a ton and get to do science that’s really fun!

Thank you Brittany Johnson for leading this class I had such a great time!