nce of eating raw fruits and vegetables because they are "live foods"; that is, foods in which the enzymes are active. The more enzymes you get, the healthier you are. And the more raw foods you eat, the more enzymes you get.Enzymes carry out the role of detoxification -- breaking down toxic substances so that they are excreted and cannot build up to possibly cause harm. Although this is done by metabolic enzymes, research shows that enzymes found in the foods that we eat, although not food enzymes -- may help our bodies do this.Recently enzymes have been found that can neutralise chemical warfare agents. The enzymes can be used to rapidly decontaminate facilities, equipment, and vehicles.At present a project is studying enzymes that catalyse the detoxification of organophosphate insecticides.The project is showing that green barley extract may accelerate the body's breakdown of malathion, an organophosphate insecticide used heavily throughout the world.Six different experiments measured the ability of barley leaf extract to "detoxify" this insecticide. All revealed positive results.Interestingly enough, one more test was run after subjecting the green barley extract to high heat. This, the researchers believe, denatured and removed the proteins. Detoxification ability was again measured, and this time, did not take place. This indicates that the detoxifying agent in green barley is an enzyme, and when heated, the enzymes are destroyed. It also points out that green barley extract is "alive" -- that is, that the enzymes are intact.As enzymes are specific, this is due to the “shape” of their receptor sites, this means that one enzyme would be able to react with only one substance, the diagram (left) shows the enzyme fitting exactly in to the substance just like a lock and key.This can be extremely useful to commercial scientists because it is possible to increase the rate of forming particular substances, while leaving the ra...
