Question
(b) the concentration of glucose in the blood. Details of co-transport are not required Explain how digestion of starch in the gut (small intestine) leads to an increase in __
Answer
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Horace
Master · Tutor for 5 years
Answer
Starch digestion to glucose in a human body system entity that spans from the ingestion of food down the elementary tract to a series of chemical reactions leading to the breakdown of complex carbohydrates into simpler molecules of glucose. The breakdown of starch comprises a series of reactions - a stepwise breakdown of complex carbohydrate (starch) to maltose via enzyme amylase and then to glucose by the enzyme maltase. Subsequently, glucose produced is absorbed into the bloodstream through the gut increasing levels of blood glucose.
Explanation
## Step 1: Understanding the questionThe question asks for an analysis of starch digestion resulting in increased glucose concentration in the bloodstream. Starch, being a complex carbohydrate, needs to be broken down before it can effectively be absorbed by the gut.## Step 2: Digestion ProcessDigestion commences from the mouth. Starch is converted to maltose, a simpler carbohydrate form, by the enzyme amylase. Amylase secretion is triggered in response to the chewing of starchy food. Although most of the physical breakdown of food by amylase happens in the mouth, the chemical reaction continues even in the gut.## Step 3: Breakdown of MaltoseIn the small intestine, maltase, another enzyme, works on maltose translating it into glucose.## Step 4: Glucose Absorption The glucose molecules thus formed are absorbed by the intestinal wall and released into the bloodstream, resulting in an increase in blood glucose concentration. ### Formula: \(starch (complex carbohydrates) \rightarrow maltose \rightarrow glucose\)