Question

The digestive enzyme salivary amylase begins the digestion of

• A. Protein
• B. Nucleic acids
• C. Fats
• D. Carbohydrates

Answer 1

The correct option is D Carbohydrates

The digestive enzyme salivary amylase begins the digestion of carbohydrates. An amylase is an enzyme that catalyses the hydrolysis of starch into sugars. Amylase is present in the saliva of humans and some other mammals, where it begins the chemical process of digestion.

Pepsin is the active protein-digesting enzyme of the stomach. Pepsin acts on protein molecules by breaking the peptide bonds that hold the molecules together. Digestion of protein is completed in the small intestine by the pancreatic enzymes trypsin, chymotrypsin, and carboxypeptidase.

Lipids, or fat, go undigested in your digestive tract until they reach your small intestine, where they meet bile. Bile contains bile salts, which act as an emulsifier of lipids. This breaks the large fat droplets into smaller droplets that are then easier for the fat-digesting enzyme pancreatic lipase to digest.