Which enzyme would be directly involved in carbohydrate digestion, producing glucose?

Which enzyme would be directly involved in carbohydrate digestion, producing glucose?

• A. Lipase
• B. Nuclease
• C. Protease
• D. Amylase

Answer: (D)

Carbohydrate digestion starts with an enzyme that cleaves starches into smaller sugar units. Amylase does this by breaking down starch into maltose and dextrins in the mouth and then in the small intestine with pancreatic amylase. From there, the disaccharides produced are split into glucose by brush-border enzymes like maltase, sucrase, and lactase. So amylase is the enzyme directly involved in starting carbohydrate digestion and setting up glucose production later in the pathway. The other enzymes specialize in fats (lipase), nucleic acids (nuclease), or proteins (protease), and do not generate glucose from carbohydrates.

Carbohydrate digestion starts with an enzyme that cleaves starches into smaller sugar units. Amylase does this by breaking down starch into maltose and dextrins in the mouth and then in the small intestine with pancreatic amylase. From there, the disaccharides produced are split into glucose by brush-border enzymes like maltase, sucrase, and lactase. So amylase is the enzyme directly involved in starting carbohydrate digestion and setting up glucose production later in the pathway. The other enzymes specialize in fats (lipase), nucleic acids (nuclease), or proteins (protease), and do not generate glucose from carbohydrates.