Digestive enzymes

• Enzymes


  • Responsible for breaking down large food molecules
  • 3 main groups of enzymes : Lipase - Fats, Protease - Protein, Carbohydrase - Carbohydrates
• Maltose


  • Simple sugar made of 2 glucose sub units
  • Maltose is broken down into glucose molecules in the small intestine
• Where are carbohydrase made?

  Salivary glands, Pancreas and small intestine
• Where are protease made?

  Pancreases, stomach and small intestine
• Pepsin


  • Example of a protease
  • First enzyme discovered by scientists by Theodore Schwan
  • Breaks down cooked egg whites into a clear solution
• Where are lipase made?

  Pancreas and small intestine.
• Liver function


  To produce bile which is stored in the gall bladder
• Bile


  • Greenish-coloured substance
  • Neutralises stomach acid
  • Emulsifies fats into smaller droplets
  • Alters properties of fats
• Villi


  • In small intestine
  • Tiny projections formed from a single layer of cells with a capillary network which increase the surface area of the small intestine
  • Easy access to blood supply
  • Extremely efficient at absorbing products of digestion into blood
• Blood function in digesting

  • Transports digested food to all body cells to be used in cell metabolism