124 



PHYSIOLOGY OF BACTERIA 



2. INFLUENCE OF TEMPERATURE UPON ENZYME ACTION 



The cause of the deviation at high temperatures is 

 known. It has been expressed in physico-chemical 

 terms by Tammann (1895) who studied the temperature 

 relations of the action of emulsion upon salicin. He 

 pointed out that increase of temperature not only 

 increases the rate of enzyme action, but also, and to a 

 much greater degree, the enzyme deterioration. The 

 temperature coefficients are 1.26 for enzyme action and 

 6.36 for enzyme deterioration. 



The consequence is that at high temperatures, we have 

 a more rapid decomposition of salicin as long as the 

 enzyme is not destroyed. But with increasing tempera- 



tures, this destruction will occur more and more rapidly 

 as shown in Table 21 until at 65°C., 90% of the 



