Search results
Results From The WOW.Com Content Network
To generate energy, the plant hydrolyzes the starch, releasing the glucose subunits. Humans and other animals that eat plant foods also use amylase, an enzyme that assists in breaking down amylopectin, to initiate the hydrolysis of starch. [3] Starch is made of about 70–80% amylopectin by weight, though it varies depending on the source.
Inulin is a naturally occurring polysaccharide complex carbohydrate composed of fructose, a plant-derived food that human digestive enzymes cannot completely break down. The inulins belong to a class of dietary fibers known as fructans. Inulin is used by some plants as a means of storing energy and is typically found in roots or rhizomes.
The pancreas and salivary gland make amylase (alpha amylase) to hydrolyse dietary starch into disaccharides and trisaccharides which are converted by other enzymes to glucose to supply the body with energy. Plants and some bacteria also produce amylase. Specific amylase proteins are designated by different Greek letters.
α-Amylase is an enzyme (EC 3.2.1.1; systematic name 4-α-D-glucan glucanohydrolase) that hydrolyses α bonds of large, α-linked polysaccharides, such as starch and glycogen, yielding shorter chains thereof, dextrins, and maltose, through the following biochemical process: [2]
Enzymes such as amylases and proteases break down large molecules (starch or proteins, respectively) into smaller ones, so they can be absorbed by the intestines. Starch molecules, for example, are too large to be absorbed from the intestine, but enzymes hydrolyze the starch chains into smaller molecules such as maltose and eventually glucose ...
As a result, it is the preferred starch for storage in plants. It makes up about 30% of the stored starch in plants, though the percentage varies by species and variety. [13] The digestive enzyme α-amylase breaks down starch molecules into maltotriose and maltose, which can be used as sources of energy.
Nearly all organisms that break down glucose utilize glycolysis. [2] Glucose regulation and product use are the primary categories in which these pathways differ between organisms. [2] In some tissues and organisms, glycolysis is the sole method of energy production. [2] This pathway is common to both anaerobic and aerobic respiration. [1]
Maltase reduces maltose into glucose: C 12 H 22 O 11 + H 2 O → 2C 6 H 12 O 6 Maltose + Water → α-Glucose α-amylase breaks starch down into maltose and dextrin, by breaking down large, insoluble starch molecules into soluble starches (amylodextrin, erythrodextrin, and achrodextrin) producing successively smaller starches and ultimately maltose.