Science Buddies: "Ask an Expert"

Hi, I am doing an IA for my Diploma. My research went into isolating enzymes from vegetables and testing their catalase activity. I found that green vegetables have higher catalase activity and I think this would be due to higher amounts of chloroplasts present. I just cannot find the link between chloroplast and catalase activity. I've become quite desperate and couldn't find much on the web. Any help would be greatly appreciated.

Hi KerstinH,

See if these papers help describe the relationship between chloroplast and catalase activity. Catalase activity is important for facilitating the decomposition of hydrogen peroxide into water and oxygen; it is important for protecting nearly all species (bacteria, plants, and animals) from reactive oxygen species (ROS) damage. Changes in the temperature, pH, salt concentration, and CO2/O2 ratio are all associated with chloroplast activity and catalase activity, which also affects the rate of photosynthesis.

https://www.nature.com/articles/s41598-017-08744-x
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articl ... 3-0185.pdf
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4628086/

I hope these papers are helpful to you! Please feel free to respond on this forum if you have any questions!

--Brandi