Question

Explain the molecular process of digestion of starch with Amylase?

How would ph, water and temperature affect this

Answer 1

Amylase is a digestive enzyme that chewing activates and which hydrolyzes or breaks downs starch into monosaccharides. Amylase breaks down starch in your mouth into a maltose, a disaccharide, which is made up of two glucose molecules.

The optimum pH for the reaction of starch with amylase is pH 7. Changes in pH affect the ionic bonds and hydrogen bonds that hold the enzyme together, which naturally affects the rate of reaction of the enzyme with the substrate.

At the optimum temperature the amylase will break down starch very quickly. At low temperatures the amylase will break starch down slowly due to reduced kinetic energy. At high temperatures the amylase will break starch down slowly or not at all due to denaturation of enzyme's active site.

Amylase require a certain level of water in their structures in order to maintain their natural conformation, allowing them to deliver their full functionality.