Digestion and Absorption of Carbohydrates
Digestion and Absorption of Carbohydrates
Digestion and Absorption of Carbohydrates
Dietary carbohydrates principally consist of the polysaccharides: starch and glycogen. It also contains
disaccharides: sucrose, lactose, maltose and in small amounts monosaccharides like fructose and
pentoses. Liquid food materials like milk, soup, fruit juice escape digestion in mouth as they are
swallowed, but solid foodstuffs are masticated thoroughly before they are swallowed.
1. Digestion in Mouth
Digestion of carbohydrates starts at the mouth, where they come in contact with saliva during mastication.
Saliva contains a carbohydrate splitting enzyme called salivary amylase (ptyalin).
2. Digestion in Stomach
Food reaches the duodenum from stomach where it meets the pancreatic juice. Pancreatic juice
contains a carbohydrate-splitting enzyme pancreatic amylase (amylopsin) similar to salivary
amylase.
There are two phases of intestinal digestion.
* Digestion due to pancreatic amyalse
* Digestion due to intestinal brush boarder enzyme.
b. Lactase
It is a β- glycosidase.
Its pH range is 5.4 to 6.0.
Lactose is hydrolyzed to glucose and galactose.
Lactose Intolerance
Lactose is hydrolyzed to galactose and glucose by lactase in humans (by β- Galactosidase in
Bacteria).Some adults do not have lactase.Such adults cannot digest the sugar.It remains in the intestines
and gets fermented by the bacteria. The condition is called as Lactose intolerance. Such patients suffer
from watery diarrhea, abnormal intestinal flow and chloeic pain. They are advised to avoid the
consumption of Lactose containing foods like Milk.
C. Maltase
The enzyme hydrolyzes the α -(1,4) glycosidic linkage between glucose units in maltose molecule
liberating two glucose molecules.
Its pH range is 5.8 to 6.2.
D. Sucrase
PH ranges 5.0 to 7.0.
It hydrolyzes sucrose molecule to form glucose and fructose.
ABSORPTION OF CARBOHYDRATES
Glucose
Fructose
galactose
These are readily absorbed through the intestinal mucosal cells into the blood stream. Two mechanism are
responsible for the absorption of these sugars....