What is the substrate for amylase?

What is the substrate for amylase?

• A. Protein
• B. Starch
• C. Lipids
• D. Nucleic acids

Answer: (B)

Amylase specializes in breaking down carbohydrates, specifically starch. It acts by hydrolyzing the alpha-1,4 glycosidic bonds found in starch, a glucose polymer, to produce smaller sugars such as maltose and dextrins that are further processed into glucose. This is why starch is the substrate for amylase. In digestion, salivary amylase begins this process in the mouth and pancreatic amylase continues it in the small intestine. Proteins, lipids, and nucleic acids are substrates for their respective enzymes (proteases, lipases, nucleases), not amylase, so those options don’t fit.

Amylase specializes in breaking down carbohydrates, specifically starch. It acts by hydrolyzing the alpha-1,4 glycosidic bonds found in starch, a glucose polymer, to produce smaller sugars such as maltose and dextrins that are further processed into glucose. This is why starch is the substrate for amylase. In digestion, salivary amylase begins this process in the mouth and pancreatic amylase continues it in the small intestine. Proteins, lipids, and nucleic acids are substrates for their respective enzymes (proteases, lipases, nucleases), not amylase, so those options don’t fit.