Question

(a) Explain briefly the role of enzymes in the process of digestion in human beings.
(b) In view of road safety what is the permissible level of alcohol in $100ml$ of human blood, legally?

Answer 1

(a)

The enzymatic digestion occurs primarily in the mouth, stomach, and small intestine.The physical and chemical digestion begins in the mouth when it is chewed. Chewing of the food grinds it and mixes it with saliva, which contains the enzyme known as salivary amylase. Enzymes facilitate chemical reactions by binding to reactive molecules. Digestive enzymes, along with most other enzymes, are designed for specific reactive molecules, referred to as substrates. In the case of amylase, the substrates are compressed packages of carbohydrates called starches; amylase helps to break down starches into individual sugar molecules such as glucose.

(b)

In India, the permissible blood alcohol content (BAC) is set at 0.03% per 100ml blood. That works out to 30mg of alcohol per 100 ml of blood.