amylase

Biology

(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
Physiology

(noun)

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

Related Terms

  • lipase
  • trypsin
  • peptidase
  • hydrolysis
Microbiology

(noun)

A type of digestive enzyme capable of breaking down complex carbohydrates into simple sugars.

Related Terms

  • oxidation

Examples of amylase in the following topics:

  • Mechanisms of Chemical Digestion

    • Because amylase turns some of potato or rice starch into sugar, these foods taste slightly sweet.
    • Both the parotid and pancreatic amylases hydrolyse the 1:4 link, but not the terminal 1:4 links or the 1:6 links.
    • Both the parotid and pancreatic amylases hydrolyse the 1:4 link, but not the terminal 1:4 links or the 1:6 links.
  • Enzymes Used in Industry

    • In food processing, the enzymes used include amylases from fungi and plants.
    • Amylase, glucanases, and proteases are used to split polysaccharides and proteins in the malt.
    • In the starch industry, amylases, amyloglucosideases, and glucoamylases convert starch into glucose and various syrups.
    • In the paper industry, amylases, xylanases, cellulases, and ligninases are used to degrade starch to lower viscosity, aiding sizing and coating paper.
  • 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.
  • Pancreatic Juice

    • Pancreatic juice is a liquid secreted by the pancreas, which contains a variety of enzymes including trypsinogen, chymotrypsinogen, elastase, carboxypeptidase, pancreatic lipase, nucleases, and amylase.
  • Chemical Digestion of Carbohydrates, Proteins, Lipids, and Nucleic Acids

    • During digestion, bonds between glucose molecules are broken by salivary and pancreatic amylase, resulting in progressively smaller chains of glucose.
  • Industrial Microorganisms

    • Additional enzymes isolated from Pyrococcus speciesinclude specific types of amylases and galactosidases which allow food processing to occur at high temperatrues as well.
  • Digestive Processes of the Small Intestine

    • Pancreatic amylase breaks down some carbohydrates (notably starch) into oligosaccharides.
  • Clostridial and Propionic Acid Fermentation

    • In this phase, complex molecules (carbohydrates, lipids, and proteins) are depolymerized into soluble compounds by hydrolytic enzymes (cellulases, hemicellulases, amylases, lipases and proteases).
  • Hydrolysis

    • For instance, carbohydrates are broken down by amylase, sucrase, lactase, or maltase.
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