Question

Salivary amylase, a digestive enzyme begins digestion of
A. Proteins
B. Fats
C. Carbohydrates
D. All of the above

Answer 1

Hint: Digestion is a type of catabolism, in which large insoluble food molecules are broken down into soluble smaller molecules so that the body easily absorbs these molecules for growth, nutrition, energy, and repair.

Complete answer:
Enzymes are the biocatalyst that regulates the rate of biochemical reactions occurring in our body that are involved in digestion, growth, reproduction, etc.
The digestive enzyme plays an important role in the breaking of insoluble food molecules into soluble molecules. These enzymes are generally globular proteins that control body biochemical reactions. They speed-up the hydrolysis of food molecules into their building block component.
Chemical and mechanical digestion of food we eat begins in the mouth itself. Salivary glands present in the oral cavity start secreting saliva that covers the food molecules. Saliva carries the primary enzyme, salivary amylase, which breaks down carbohydrates into simpler molecules like sugars, breaking down of these larger molecules into simpler ones helps the body to digest these starch rich foods. Whereas complex proteins start broken down into simpler proteins with help of enzyme pepsin in the stomach. While carbohydrates get separated from other food particles in the stomach and then in the small intestine bile emulsifies the fat after that they are digested by the enzymes.
Salivary amylase is a glucose polymer with a pH of. It generally breaks carbohydrates molecules by breaking bonds between monomeric sugar units, about five percent of the starch breaks down in the oral cavity (it is good because more starch in the mouth leads to tooth decay so amylase has a role in dental health also).
                                      \[{\text{Starch}}\xrightarrow[{{\text{amylase}}}]{{{\text{salivary}}}}{\text{Maltose}}\]
As shown in the reaction starch with the help of an enzyme salivary amylase breaks down into maltose.

Hence, the correct answer is option (C).

Note: Salivary amylase digestive role against carbohydrates maintains our oral health by preventing the starch accumulation over teeth. This enzyme activates at pH while the stomach has a high level of pH which denatures the salivary amylase and changes its shape.