What happens to the activity of enzymes when food is boiled?

Enzymes are proteins that act as catalysts to speed up biochemical reactions in the body, including those involved in digestion. When food is boiled, the high temperatures can lead to denaturation, a process where the three-dimensional structure of the enzyme is altered. This denaturation typically results in a loss of catalytic activity.

Once denatured, enzymes can no longer effectively bind to their substrate or carry out their functions, rendering them inactive. This is particularly relevant in cooking, where the goal is often to deactivate enzymes that can spoil food or cause undesirable reactions. Therefore, the correct understanding is that boiling food causes the enzymes to become inactive due to the structural changes induced by the heat.