Analysis of Amylase in the Kitchen: An At-Home Biochemistry Experiment for the COVID-19 Pandemic

During the COVID-19 pandemic, an at-home enzyme assay was developed for a biochemistry laboratory course at Arizona State University. The experiment was designed to use items that could be easily obtained and safe to use. The experiment focused on the analysis of salivary amylase using starch from food as a substrate, black tea as an inhibitor, and tincture of iodine to quantify the amount of starch present. In this article, we describe the design of the experiment and an analysis of the student performance with specific mention of the common problems that the students experienced. While this experiment was specifically designed as an at-home experiment, it could easily be adapted to use in a typical undergraduate biochemistry laboratory.