Autolysis

- Autolysis is the destruction of a cell through the actions of its own enzymes. It can also be the digestion of an enzyme by another molecule of the same enzyme. The cells that seem to be most susceptible to autolysis are usually dying or dead cells. Autolysis comes from the greek language meaning self-splitting.

- Since autolysis is the breaking down of tissues by the bodys own internal chemicals it relates to the embalming process by decomposition. Decomposition plays an important role in embalming since the point of embalming is to help slow the process of decomposition. Autolysis speeds up the bodys decomposition process.

- This term is intresting because it does play a large part in the embalming process. It relates with decomposition and helps to understand the bodys way of breaking down by learning this term. There are other things this term effects and has a part of besides the embalming process. It is used in the food industry for bread baking. The term is used to describe when the hydration period takes place after the final mixing of flour and water that happens before kneading has developed the gluten. The term is also used when talking about fermented beverages. Autolysis happens when the wort is left on the lees for a period of time. Autolysis can cause some alcohols to have an undesirable taste due to the breaking down of enzymes.

- The term Autolysis is very important in chemistry because it is important to know all the different effects that the word you are studying have to do with the embalming process. Once you learn about a term it is eaiser to understand how to fix a problem when it arises.