Digestive enzymes DR S P KAMBLE Enzymes help
Digestive enzymes DR. S. P. KAMBLE
Enzymes help in the breakdown of food, in a process called chemical digestion. Food contains carbohydrates, proteins and lipids, so a wide range of enzymes is needed. �Carbohydrases break down carbohydrates �Proteases break down protein �Lipases break down lipids
Carbohydrate digestion involves two stages: • First the breakdown of starch to maltose is catalysed by the enzyme amylase in the mouth and the lumen of the small intestine. • Secondly the breakdown of maltose to glucose is catalysed by the enzyme maltase inside the mucosa cells of the small intestine.
• Protein digestion in the lumen of the gut starts with an enzyme called endopeptidase that catalyses the breakdown of proteins to form polypeptides. • An enzyme called an exopeptidase catalyses the breakdown of polypeptides to produce dipeptides. • Inside the cells of the mucosa dipeptidase enzymes catalyse the breakdown of dipeptides into amino acids.
Lipid digestion only occurs in the lumen of the small intestine. • Lipid digestion cannot start in the stomach because conditions are too acidic for the lipase enzymes. • Bile salts found in bile produced by the liver break down the fat droplets into smaller droplets. • This process is called emulsification. It increases the surface area for the lipase enzymes to work on. • Lipase from the pancreas catalyses the breakdown of lipids into fatty acids and glycerol.
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