Digestion of carbohydrates

• What is starch hydrolysed into in the digestive system and by which enzyme?

  Starch is hydrolysed into maltose by the enzyme amylase.
• Where does the digestion of starch begin?

  In the mouth
• Why does the digestion of starch begin in the mouth?

  To ensure that all starch is digested into glucose which is needed to release energy in respiration.
• What are the two types of amylase and where do they work?

  • Salivary amylase ---> works in the mouth
  • Pancreatic amylase ---> works in the small intestine
• What is maltose hydrolysed into in the ileum and by which enzyme?

  Maltose is hydrolysed into glucose in the ileum by maltase
• What is maltose?

  A membrane-bound disaccharidase
• What is a disaccharidase?

  An enzyme that hydrolyses disaccharides.
• Why is it useful that maltose is membrane-bound?

  • Smaller diffusion distance for glucose to travel to the cell membrane ---> faster absorption
  • More frequent successful collisions and therefore more enzyme-substrate complexes formed in a given time
• Why is it more useful to have amylase than maltose?

  The amylase will create more binding sites for maltose which leads to faster hydrolysis.
• Where are carbohydrates digested in the body?

  Mouth -> duodenum -> ileum
• Where are carbohydrates digested in the body?

  The digestion of carbohydrates starts in the mouth, continues in the duodenum and is completed in the ileum.