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Digestive Enzymes - Types, Functions, Location, Supplements

The pancreas produces the following digestive enzymes primarily: The pancreas and mouth produce amylase, which breaks down complex carbs. Check this article to know more about Digestive Enzymes.
authorImageJasdeep Bhatia23 Mar, 2024
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Digestive Enzymes

If you are looking for Digestive Enzymes , you have come to the right place!

The topic  “Digestive Enzymes'' will be covered in this article. For nutrients to be released from food and absorbed over the intestinal barrier into the bloodstream, digestive enzymes catalyse (cause or accelerate (a reaction) by serving as a catalyst) the breakdown of food in the mouth and stomach. Therefore, enhancing nutritional bioavailability is one of the primary roles of digestive enzymes. When you eat food, particular hormonal cues trigger the production of digestive enzymes in your saliva and exocrine (a gland that secretes material through a duct) secretions from the pancreas, which are then released via pancreatic fluids into the duodenum. The digestive enzymes' environment and energy supply are crucial for their synthesis and activation. This article will discuss the factors involving types of digestive enzymes, causes of digestive enzyme deficiency, natural sources, function and location of digestive enzymes.

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Introduction

Digestive enzymes disassemble polymeric macromolecules into their more manageable constituent parts, making it easier for the body's cells to absorb them. Digestive enzymes can be found inside cells, particularly in their lysosomes, where they maintain cellular viability, in the digestive tracts of animals (including humans) and carnivorous plants, where they aid in the digestion of food. The mouth, stomach, and small intestine are all parts of the digestive system where your body produces enzymes. The pancreas does the majority of the work. Your body uses digestive enzymes to break down food's proteins, lipids, and carbs.This is necessary to maintain maximum health and facilitate nutrient absorption.The nutrients in your diet are lost without these enzymes.

Digestion Definition And Human Digestive System

Types of Digestive Enzymes

Each digestive enzyme picks out a particular vitamin to break down and transform into a form that can finally be absorbed. The key digestive enzymes include

Amylase

An enzyme called amylase hydrolyses starch (Latin: amylum) into sugars. Humans and certain other mammals produce amylase in their saliva, which starts the body's chemical process of digesting.

Maltase

One alpha-glucosidase enzyme, maltase, is found in the small intestine's brush border. Maltose, a disaccharide, is hydrolysed into two simple glucose sugars by this enzyme. Plants, bacteria, yeast, people, and other vertebrates all have maltase.

Lactase

Numerous organisms generate the enzyme lactase. It is found in the small intestine of mammals, including humans, bordered by brush. Because it breaks down lactose, the sugar that gives milk its taste, lactase is necessary for the complete digestion of whole milk.

Lipase

A group of enzymes known as lipase catalyses fats hydrolysis. Some lipases have a broad range of substrates, such as phospholipids, lipid-soluble vitamins, cholesterol esters, and sphingomyelinases. However, these are often handled differently from "ordinary" lipases.

Proteases

An enzyme called protease catalyses (increases reaction rate or "speeds up") proteolysis, which results in the breakdown of proteins into smaller polypeptides or single amino acids and promotes the production of new protein products.

Sucrase

A digestive enzyme named sucrase catalyses the breakdown of sucrose into its component sugars, fructose and glucose. One kind, sucrase-isomaltase, is secreted at the small intestine's brush border. Sucrose is hydrolysed by the enzyme invertase, which is more frequently found in plants than animals.

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Natural Sources of Digestive Enzymes

Natural digestive enzymes can be found in fruits, vegetables, and other meals. They can help your digestion if you eat them.
  • Protease and amylase are present in honey, particularly raw honey.
  • Bananas and mangoes contain amylase, which helps in fruit ripening.
  • Papain is a particular protease found in papaya.
  • The digestive enzyme lipase is present in avocados.
  • During fermentation, fermented cabbage, often known as sauerkraut, absorbs digestive enzymes.

Function and Location of Different Digestive Enzymes

There are digestive enzymes in every area of the human body. Here are a few examples of these enzymes:

Digestive Enzymes in the Mouth

The salivary glands secrete various digestive enzymes in the human mouth. These are listed below:
  • Lipase Enzyme: The lipase enzyme starts the digestion of lipids or fats in the mouth.
  • Salivary Amylase or Ptyalin: Salivary Ptyalin, also known as amylase, aids in converting starch into maltose during the breakdown of carbohydrates.
  • Lysozyme: This digestive enzyme fights off some non-essential nutrients like germs and viruses that might be present in the diet.

Digestive Enzymes in the Mouth

The gastric glands secrete various digestive enzymes, known as gastric enzymes, which are found in the human stomach. These are listed below:
  • Pepsin : The most significant gastric enzyme, pepsin, is created by the main gastric cells. The stomach glands initially produce the inactive version of the enzyme pepsinogen. The stomach juices then trigger the formation of pepsin. Proteins are broken down into smaller peptides and amino acids by pepsin.
  • Gastric Lipase: The gastric chief cells in the stomach's fundic mucosa release this acidic enzyme. Its ideal pH range is between 3 and 6.
  • Mucin : The mucous cells in the stomach release mucin to shield the lining from its highly acidic environment.
  • Gastrin : This hormone helps to stimulate the parietal cells to create hydrochloric acid (HCl) and intrinsic factors. It is mostly produced by the gastric cells in the stomach (IF).

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Digestive Enzymes in the Pancreas

Pancreatic juice, which comprises various digestive enzymes, is secreted by the pancreas. These are listed below:
  • Trypsinogen : The enzyme enterokinase converts this dormant protease into trypsin. Proteins are broken down into amino acids by an enzyme called trypsin.
  • Chymotrypsinogen : Chymotrypsinogen is an inactive protease that can be converted to chymotrypsin by the enzymes enterokinase or trypsin. In turn, chymotrypsin is in charge of dissolving proteins into aromatic amino acids.

Digestive Enzymes in the Small Intestine

  • Secretin : In reaction to the acidity of the gastric chyme, the S cells of the duodenum (small intestine) produce a secretin hormone. Thus, it seeks to keep the duodenum's pH level stable.
  • Cholecystokinin (CCK): Cholecystokinin (CCK) is a binding peptide that the small intestine's "I cells" release in response to gastric chyme that contains a lot of fat and protein. Additionally, it is in charge of slowing down and emptying the stomach, which enables the pancreatic fluids to balance the stomach's chyme acidity. Additionally, it causes gallbladder contraction, which causes bile to be released into the duodenum.
  • Gastric Inhibitory Peptide (GIP): This peptide, which lowers gastric motility, is produced by the mucosal cells in the duodenum of the small intestine.

Digestive Enzymes Supplements

Animals, plants, and microorganisms are the three primary sources of supplemental digestive enzymes.

Animals

The following enzymes come from animals: pancreatin, pepsin, trypsin, and chymotrypsin. Practitioners still frequently utilise pancreatin, which typically contains the majority of the enzymes required for the small intestine to digest proteins, fats, and carbs (For example, lipase to speed up the breakdown of lipids; proteases to break down proteins into amino acids; amylase to cleave complicated carbohydrate molecules into controllable sugars).

Plants

Many digestive formulae contain plant-derived proteolytic enzymes, such as bromelain (from pineapple) and papain (from papaya), responsible for breaking down proteins. These can be taken with food daily or even as an occasional "after meal" enzyme to help the digestive process finish.

Microbes

Vegetarians and vegans can use microbial-sourced enzymes from fungi (including yeasts) and bacterial sources and have strong stomach resilience. Amylase, glucoamylase, proteases, lipases, and various disaccharidases, such as lactase, break down lactose. Alpha-galactosidase breaks down beans, legumes and cruciferous vegetables. Cellulase, which breaks down cellulose, is an example of a microbial enzyme.

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Key Points of Digestive Enzymes

  • Large food molecules are broken down into smaller food molecules by the digestive enzymes.
  • The breakdown of starch into maltose is carried out by the enzyme amylase, which is present in the human mouth and pancreas.
  • Proteins are broken down into smaller peptides and amino acids by proteases such as pepsin, trypsin, and chymotrypsin. Both the pancreas and the stomach contain them.
  • Dietary lipids like fats and oils are broken down into fatty acids and glycerol by the lipase enzyme.
  • The enzyme nuclease aids in the conversion of nucleic acids, such as DNA and RNA, into nucleotides.

Digestive Enzymes <span style=

The body produces digestive enzymes in what ways? Is it possible to boost the levels of these enzymes in the body?

Digestive enzymes are produced naturally by a number of your organs, including the small intestine, pancreas, and others. Thus they are produced in the body. However, there are also methods for consuming these enzymes. Consuming more fruits containing these enzymes is another way to get these nutrients. Bananas, kiwis, avocados, papayas, pineapples, etc., are a few of these fruits.

What happens if your body produces too much or too little amylase?

The digestive enzyme amylase is in charge of breaking down carbs. It converts starch into simple sugar and is secreted by salivary and pancreatic glands. However, it's crucial to keep your body's amount of amylase stable. This is because elevated levels of this digestive enzyme in your body could point to pancreatic inflammation, pancreatic duct damage, or even pancreatic cancer in rare circumstances.

What occurs if digestive enzymes are taken without food?

Enzymes will operate to aid in food digestion, for instance, if taken with a full stomach. They can aid in the breakdown of other proteins in the body, such as those responsible for inflammation, if consumed on an empty stomach.

Do enzymes purify the blood?

Because enzymes carry out all the vital tasks within the body, they have been dubbed "the foundation of all metabolic activity." In other words, enzymes provide nutrients, digest food, remove toxins from the body, clean the blood, supply hormones, maintain healthy levels of triglycerides and cholesterol, nourish the brain, and help the body grow.

What is the average lifespan of digestive enzymes?

Any meal that contains enzymes causes the enzymes to churn in your stomach along with the meal. The enzymes migrate out with the meal as it leaves the stomach and enters the small intestine 2 to 5 hours later. The enzymes you consume with breakfast most likely won't be present at lunch.
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