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The Effect Of Ph Level On Starch Digestion

Decent Essays

Ankita Batra
Section 13156
The Effect of pH Level on Starch Digestion by the Activity of Amylase and the Examination of the Rate of Starch Disappearance Using Iodine Solution
Introduction
A key enzyme found in the saliva of humans, alpha-amylase, is involved in the early stages of starch digestion. This type of amylase is classified by its glycosidic bonds and is mainly found in the bodies of animals. The digestion of starch will begin with the enzyme in saliva and will continue to break down starch as the food bolus reaches the duodenum (Butterworth et al., 2011). Therefore, alpha amylase is a significant component in the digestion process and also plays a major role in energy storage.
Starch is the main source of carbohydrate in the human diet, so it is essential to have an enzyme that assists in the efficient hydrolysis of starch into sugars. Amylase catalyzes this reaction by breaking the glycosidic bonds present, which results in maltose, a disaccharide, glucose, and varying lengths of oligosaccharides with alpha-limit dextrins and alpha-configurations (Marini, I. 2006). Although the amylase enzyme is abundant from the secretion of the pancreas and salivary glands, it can also be obtained from different sources such as other mammals, plants, and microorganisms.
Since there are many sources for obtaining amylase, the enzyme also has many applications in industrial processes. Amylase acquired from bacteria and fungi can be beneficial in the chemical and pharmaceutical

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