39th Annual Student Research Conference
Isolation of Tyrosinase from Mushrooms
Marlayna R. Little
Dr. Andrew Kauffmann, Faculty Mentor
This project focuses on isolating and studying the enzyme tyrosinase from Baby Bella Mushrooms. Tyrosinase is involved in melanin production and is responsible for enzymatic browning in foods, making it important in medical and agricultural research. The goal of this project is to develop a reliable method for extracting and testing tyrosinase activity to be implemented in an undergraduate biochemistry lab course. To do this, the enzyme was extracted from frozen mushrooms using a phosphate buffer, purified using ammonium sulfate precipitation, and run through buffer exchange. Enzyme activity was measured using L-DOPA as a substrate and monitoring the formation of dopachrome with UV-Vis spectroscopy. The extracted enzyme showed strong activity, and testing with the inhibitors kojic acid, arbutin, and tropolone showed results consistent with literature descriptions. Overall, this project demonstrates that tyrosinase can be successfully extracted from mushrooms, and potentially implemented into an undergraduate biochemistry laboratory at a later date.
Keywords: Biochemistry, Tyrosinase, Enzyme, Inhibition
Topic(s):Biochemistry and Molecular Biology
Presentation Type: Oral Presentation
Session: -4
Location: MG 1098
Time: 9:15