Question

Enzyme maltase in the human gut acts on food at a pH of
A. More than seven to change starch into maltose
B. Less than seven to change starch into maltose
C. More than seven to change maltose into glucose
D. Less than seven to change maltose into glucose

Answer 1

Hint: Maltase enzyme is situated on the brush border of the small intestine that helps in breaking down the disaccharide maltose. Maltase catalyzes and helps in hydrolysis to the simple sugar.
This enzyme is commonly found in plants, bacteria, and yeast.

Complete answer: The digestion of carbohydrates starts from the mouth and then goes into the stomach and duodenum part of the intestine. So, during this, an enzyme acts upon the carbohydrate which is known as amylase. Amylase helps in the breakdown of the carbohydrate into maltose, isomaltose, and alpha dextrin. Maltase breaks the maltose and this process occurs in the end part of the duodenum. Small amounts of maltose and isomaltose are produced in the mouth and duodenum but the major part of them are produced in the duodenum by the pancreatic juice and the enzyme is known as pancreatic amylase. So, in the human gut, the maltose present gets digested by the enzyme maltase which arises from the intestine juice. The enzyme maltase converts maltose into glucose. As we know the basic pH of the duodenum is basic, so enzyme maltase will convert the maltose into glucose at a Ph of more than 7.
So, the correct option is option C-More than seven to change maltose into glucose.

Note: Deficiency of acid maltase is categorized into three separate types based on the age of onset of symptoms in the affected individual. In many cases, it is equal to alpha-glucosidase, but the term "maltase" is the disaccharide nature of the substrate from which glucose is split, and "alpha-glucosidase" emphasizes the bond, whether the substrate is a disaccharide or polysaccharide.