Broccoli's Natural Defense Against Aging

Presenter: Christian LeRue

Co-Presenter(s):
Blaine Baker, Thomas Rodriguez

Presenter Status: Undergraduate student

Academic Year: 20-21

Semester: Spring

Faculty Mentor: Monica Lares

Department: Chemistry

Funding Source/Sponsor: Class Project

Screenshot URL: https://drive.google.com/uc?id=18LfhdE7V8d867rG3Po4fc-P3JdRCg_bC

Abstract:
Previous studies have shown a strong correlation between peroxide concentration and activity in plants and their ability to stay fresh and ultimately stay nutrient rich [1]. In this experiment, a correlation was determined between the fridge age of broccoli and the corresponding peroxidase activity in the broccoli stems. Broccoli peroxidase was purified from broccoli stems via standard protein purification methods: Ammonium sulfate precipitation, dialyzing membranes, and size exclusion chromatography. The concentration and activity of Peroxidase was determined via the Bradford Assay, the highly specific Guaiacol assay, and an SDS-PAGE to verify the molecular weight. Kinetic parameters such as Km for Guaiacol were determined