amylase

(noun)

Any of a class of digestive enzymes present in saliva that break down complex carbohydrates, such as starch, into simpler sugars like glucose.

Related Terms

  • Mechanical digestion
  • mechanical digestion
  • WITH THE AID OF DIAGRAM ANALYZE DIGESTION, ABSORPTION AND AS SIMULATION
  • chylomicron
  • lipase
  • chemical digestion

Examples of amylase in the following topics:

  • Digestion and Absorption

    • The salivary enzyme amylase begins the breakdown of food starches into maltose, a disaccharide.
    • The acidic environment in the stomach stops amylase from continuing to break down the molecules.
    • Pancreatic juices also contain amylase, which continues the breakdown of starch and glycogen into maltose and other disaccharides.
    • Starch and glycogen are broken down into glucose by amylase and maltase.
  • Types and Functions of Proteins

    • Salivary amylase is an enzyme in the mouth that breaks down starch (a long carbohydrate chain) into amylose (a short chain of glucose molecules).
    • The longer you chew a cracker, the sweeter the cracker will taste because your taste buds are receptive to the glucose molecules exposed by the amylase.
    • These enzymes include amylase, which catalyzes the digestion carbohydrates in the mouth and small intestine; pepsin, which catalyzes the digestion of proteins in the stomach; lipase, which catalyzes reactions need to emulsify fats in the small intestine; and trypsin, which catalyzes the further digestion of proteins in the small intestine.
  • Hydrolysis

    • For instance, carbohydrates are broken down by amylase, sucrase, lactase, or maltase.
  • Digestive System: Mouth and Stomach

    • In addition, saliva contains an enzyme called salivary amylase that begins the process of converting starches in the food into a disaccharide called maltose.
Subjects
  • Accounting
  • Algebra
  • Art History
  • Biology
  • Business
  • Calculus
  • Chemistry
  • Communications
  • Economics
  • Finance
  • Management
  • Marketing
  • Microbiology
  • Physics
  • Physiology
  • Political Science
  • Psychology
  • Sociology
  • Statistics
  • U.S. History
  • World History
  • Writing

Except where noted, content and user contributions on this site are licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0 with attribution required.