To discuss:
Digestion of carbohydrates and proteins by the
Introduction:
Digestion of carbohydrates starts in the buccal cavity with the help of amylase enzyme. Further digestion occurs in the small intestines (by enzymes) and in the large intestine (by bacterial activity). Protein digestion occurs in the stomach and small intestine with the help of proteases, and in the large intestine (by bacterial activity).
Explanation of Solution
Carbohydrates and proteins are major components of food, along with fats. Digestion is defined as a process that converts the complex form of food into simple substances that can be absorbed by the cells. Digestion of food is performed by the digestive system, which includes gastrointestinal tract and digestive glands.
Carbohydrates are first hydrolyzed in the mouth, by the enzyme a-amylase (ptyalin), present in saliva. It cleaves starch into disaccharides. Further digestion is done by pancreatic amylase (performs the same cleavage as saliva a-amylase), lactase (cleaves lactose into galactose and glucose), maltase (cleaves maltose into maltose and glucose), and sucrose (cleaves sucrose into glucose and fructose).
Proteins are digested by proteases (protein cleaving enzymes). Protein digestion starts in the stomach, by pepsin. It breaks peptide linkage and produces polypeptides (
Complete digestion of carbohydrates and proteins is done in the large intestine through the microbial activity. Symbiotic bacteria help in this digestion since no enzymes are secreted by the large intestine.
Digestion of carbohydrates and proteins are done with the help of different parts of the digestive system by different hydrolyzing enzymes.
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