amylase

amylase

amylase , enzyme having physiological, commercial, and historical significance, also called diastase. It is found in both plants and animals. Amylase was purified (1835) from malt by Anselme Payen and Jean Persoz. Their work led them to suspect that similar substances, now known as enzymes, might be involved in biochemical processes. Amylase hydrolyzes starch , glycogen , and dextrin to form in all three instances glucose , maltose , and the limit-dextrins. Salivary amylase is known as ptyalin; although humans have this enzyme in their saliva, some mammals, such as horses, dogs, and cats, do not. Ptyalin begins polysaccharide digestion in the mouth; the process is completed in the small intestine by the pancreatic amylase, sometimes called amylopsin. The amylase of malt digests barley starch to the disaccharides that are attacked by yeast in the fermentation process.

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"amylase." The Columbia Encyclopedia, 6th ed.. 2011. Encyclopedia.com. 26 May. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>.

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amylase

amylase Any of a group of closely related enzymes that degrade starch, glycogen, and other polysaccharides. Plants contain both α- and β-amylases; the name diastase is given to the component of malt containing β-amylase, important in the brewing industry. Animals possess only α-amylases, found in pancreatic juice (as pancreatic amylase) and also (in humans and some other species) in saliva (as salivary amylase or ptyalin). Amylases cleave the glycosidic bonds of the long polysaccharide chains, producing a mixture of glucose and maltose.

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"amylase." A Dictionary of Biology. 2004. Encyclopedia.com. 26 May. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>.

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amylase

amylase A member of a group of enzymes that hydrolyse (see HYDROLYSIS) starch or glycogen by the splitting of glucosidic bonds (see GLUCOSIDE), so giving rise to the sugars glucose, dextrin, or maltose. They are widely distributed in plants and animals, but occur particularly richly in germinating seeds e.g. those of barley, peas, and maize) in which the amylase mobilizes food reserves for the growth of the seedling.

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MICHAEL ALLABY. "amylase." A Dictionary of Plant Sciences. 1998. Encyclopedia.com. 26 May. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>.

MICHAEL ALLABY. "amylase." A Dictionary of Plant Sciences. 1998. Encyclopedia.com. (May 26, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O7-amylase.html

MICHAEL ALLABY. "amylase." A Dictionary of Plant Sciences. 1998. Retrieved May 26, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O7-amylase.html

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amylase

amylase A member of a group of enzymes that hydrolyse starch or glycogen by the splitting of glycosidic bonds, so giving rise to the sugars glucose, dextrin, or maltose. Amylases are widely distributed in plants and animals, occurring in microorganisms and, for example, in pancreatic juices and salivary glands.

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MICHAEL ALLABY. "amylase." A Dictionary of Zoology. 1999. Encyclopedia.com. 26 May. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>.

MICHAEL ALLABY. "amylase." A Dictionary of Zoology. 1999. Encyclopedia.com. (May 26, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O8-amylase.html

MICHAEL ALLABY. "amylase." A Dictionary of Zoology. 1999. Retrieved May 26, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O8-amylase.html

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amylase

am·yl·ase / ˈaməˌlās; -ˌlāz/ • n. Biochem. an enzyme, found chiefly in saliva and pancreatic fluid, that converts starch and glycogen into simple sugars.

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"amylase." The Oxford Pocket Dictionary of Current English. 2009. Encyclopedia.com. 26 May. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>.

"amylase." The Oxford Pocket Dictionary of Current English. 2009. Encyclopedia.com. (May 26, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O999-amylase.html

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amylase

amylase Digestive enzyme secreted by the salivary glands (salivary amylase) and the pancreas (pancreatic amylase. It aids digestion by breaking down starch into maltose (a disaccharide) and then glucose (a monosaccharide).

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"amylase." World Encyclopedia. 2005. Encyclopedia.com. 26 May. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>.

"amylase." World Encyclopedia. 2005. Encyclopedia.com. (May 26, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O142-amylase.html

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amylase

amylase (am-i-layz) n. an enzyme that occurs in saliva and pancreatic juice and aids the digestion of starch, which it breaks down into glucose, maltose, and dextrins.

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"amylase." A Dictionary of Nursing. 2008. Encyclopedia.com. 26 May. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>.

"amylase." A Dictionary of Nursing. 2008. Encyclopedia.com. (May 26, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O62-amylase.html

"amylase." A Dictionary of Nursing. 2008. Retrieved May 26, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O62-amylase.html

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amylase

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"amylase." Oxford Dictionary of Rhymes. 2007. Encyclopedia.com. 26 May. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>.

"amylase." Oxford Dictionary of Rhymes. 2007. Encyclopedia.com. (May 26, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O233-amylase.html

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Free newspaper and magazine articles

Clinical utility of amylase and lipase.(Answering your questions)
Magazine article from: Medical Laboratory Observer; 10/1/2005
Effects of different levels of supplementary alpha-amylase on digestive...
Magazine article from: Asian - Australasian Journal of Animal Sciences; 1/1/2008
Purification and properties of a thermostable [alpha]-amylase by acremonium...
Magazine article from: International Journal of Biotechnology &amp; Biochemistry; 1/1/2010

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amylase images
amylase. Wikimedia Commons (Public Domain)