About Us

The term biochemical can refer to any chemical compound that is part of the makeup of living cells. The major biochemicals Worthington purifies are proteins obtained from materials such as beef pancreas, plants, fermentation sources, and other natural substances.

Enzymes are proteins that act as catalysts. Every aspect of life involves chemical reactions. When you eat, starches are broken down into simple sugars; proteins from meat or eggs break down into the simple amino acids that make up the protein. Catalysts are needed to get each kind of reaction going because none of these reactions occur spontaneously in your body. Enzymes are the catalysts used by living organisms.

Enzymes are used in medical research. An example is the use of an enzyme called collagenase for dissolving tissue. All of the cells of any organ are held together by a protein called collagen. If a scientist wishes to study one particular kind of cell, he can take a sample of tissue, soak it in a solution of the enzyme collagenase, and after some period of time all of the cells will separate from one another, but each cell will still be alive and functioning. Now the scientist can 'plant' one of the individual cells in a petri dish and add some nutrient. If the selected cell has not been damaged, it will divide over and over until new tissue has formed made up of many copies of the original cell. This operation is called 'tissue culture'.