Which of the following statements about enzymes in the human body is/are correct?

Statement A: Maltase is present in the saliva and breaks the sugar maltose into glucose.

Statement B: Amylase is present in the saliva and helps change starches into sugars.

Question

Question

This question was previously asked in

SSC CHSL (2022) Tier-II Official Paper (Held On: 26 Jun, 2023 Shift 1)

Answer 1

The correct answer is Option 4) Only B

Key Points

Maltase is an enzyme that catalyzes the hydrolysis of maltose to simple sugar glucose.
This is an important step in carbohydrate digestion.
However, this enzyme is not produced in the salivary glands and thus is not found in saliva.
Rather, it's secreted by the cells lining the small intestine (specifically, the cells on the walls of the villi).
Therefore, maltase plays its role in the later stages of digestion, after food has been swallowed

Hence statement A is incorrect.

Amylase is present in the saliva and helps change starches into sugars.
Amylase is an enzyme that is indeed produced by the salivary glands and is thus present in saliva.
Its role is to begin the process of digestion in the mouth by breaking down starch, which is a complex carbohydrate, into simpler sugars like maltose.
So when you start to chew food, the amylase in your saliva is already starting to break down the starches present.
The process then continues in the small intestine where other enzymes (like maltase) take over.

Hence statement B is correct.

Additional Information

Enzyme	Location	Function
Amylase	Salivary glands, Pancreas	Begins the digestion of carbohydrates in the mouth by breaking down starch into simpler sugars, a process that continues in the small intestine.
Lipase	Pancreas, Stomach	Breaks down fats into fatty acids and glycerol.
Pepsin	Stomach	Begins the digestion of proteins into smaller peptides.
Trypsin	Pancreas	Continues the digestion of proteins in the small intestine, breaking them into smaller peptides and amino acids.
Maltase	Small intestine	Breaks down maltose (a simple sugar) into glucose.
Lactase	Small intestine	Breaks down lactose (milk sugar) into glucose and galactose.
Sucrase	Small intestine	Breaks down sucrose (table sugar) into glucose and fructose.
Catalase	Nearly all human cells (especially liver and red blood cells)	Breaks down hydrogen peroxide, a harmful by-product of cellular processes, into water and oxygen.
DNA Polymerase	Nucleus	Assists in DNA replication, helping cells to divide and multiply.
RNA Polymerase	Nucleus	Involved in the synthesis of RNA from a DNA template during transcription.