Topic Summaries

Digestive enzymes

GCSE > Biology > Edexcel > GCSE Biology Topic Summaries > Human health and enzymes > Digestive enzymes
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Resource cycles and environmental change

Science skills: Measuring results

  • Saliva produced by salivary glands contains the carbohydrase enzymes amylase and maltase, which catalyses the breakdown of carbohydrates to simple sugars.
    • Amylase: turns starch into maltose.
    • Maltase: turns maltose into glucose.
  • Proteases produced in the stomach begin the digestion of proteins into amino acids.
  • Lipases break down lipids (fats and oils) into fatty acids and glycerol.
  • The pancreas produces carbohydrase, protease and lipase enzymes and releases them into the small intestine.
  • The liver produces bile, which is stored in the gall bladder.
  • Bile neutralises the acid entering the small intestine from the stomach and emulsifies fats (breaks them up into small droplets, increasing the surface area for lipase action).

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