Question

Short / Long answer type questions.
You had eaten boiled rice at lunch time. Make a list of enzymes it will be acted upon and the changes it will undergo before being absorbed in the small intestine

Answer 1

Boiled rice contains starch (a form of carbohydrate). It is acted upon by the following enzymes before being absorbed by the small intestine:

• Salivary amylase in the mouth: Salivary amylase is secreted by the salivary glands of the mouth. It acts on the starch in food and breaks it down to maltose.
• Pancreatic amylase in the small intestine: Pancreas secretes the pancreatic juice that contains the enzyme pancreatic amylase. It breaks down the remaining polysaccharides into maltose.
• Maltase in the small intestine: Enzyme maltase breaks down maltose into two units of glucose.
• Lactase and sucrase: These enzymes are also present in the small intestine. Lactase breaks lactose into glucose and galactose and sucrase breaks down sucrose into glucose and fructose.
  

These monosaccharides are then absorbed in the small intestine.