Amylase vs. Pepsin

Amylasenoun

(enzyme) Any of a class of digestive enzymes, present in saliva, that break down complex carbohydrates such as starch into simpler sugars such as glucose.

‘egg yolk amylase’;

Pepsinnoun

(enzyme) A digestive enzyme that chemically digests, or breaks down, proteins into shorter chains of amino acids.

Amylasenoun

any of a group of proteins found in saliva and pancreatic juice and parts of plants; help convert starch to sugar

Pepsinnoun

A proteolytic enzyme (MW 34,500) contained in the secretory glands of the stomach. In the gastric juice it is united with dilute hydrochloric acid (0.2 per cent, approximately) and the two together constitute the active portion of the digestive fluid. It degrades proteins to proteoses and peptides, and is notable for having a very low pH optimum for its activity. It is the active agent in the gastric juice of all animals.

Amylase

An amylase () is an enzyme that catalyses the hydrolysis of starch (Latin amylum) into sugars. Amylase is present in the saliva of humans and some other mammals, where it begins the chemical process of digestion.

Pepsinnoun

an enzyme produced in the stomach that splits proteins into peptones

Pepsin

Pepsin is an endopeptidase that breaks down proteins into smaller peptides. It is produced in the gastric chief cells of the stomach lining and is one of the main digestive enzymes in the digestive systems of humans and many other animals, where it helps digest the proteins in food.