Practice Lab: Amylase in the Digestive System

Introduction

The complicated mechanism of the digestive system is in charge of dissolving large food molecules into smaller ones that the body can absorb and use. Many enzymes that cooperate during the digestive process help to guarantee that food is correctly broken down. The pancreas and salivary glands release amylase, one such enzyme (Barr et al., 2014). Amylase is in charge of dissolving complex carbs into simpler sugars like glucose and fructose so that the body can absorb them more easily. This experiment aims to investigate the role of amylase in the digestive system and the measurement of its activity by a straightforward test.

Hypothesis: Amylase is speculated to break down starch into simple sugars to demonstrate the enzyme’s crucial function in the digestive tract.

Materials and Methods

We tested our hypothesis using three test tubes filled with 20 drops each of iodine, amylase, and starch. To precisely measure out the drips, we used a pipette. The test tubes were then heated to 37°C in a water bath to simulate body temperature. The first test tube was taken out after 10 minutes, and a drop of the solution was put into an iodine-filled spot plate. This was done to check if any starch was left in the solution. The presence of the starch was still visible as a blue-black hue. At 20-minute intervals, the identical procedure was repeated for the second and third test tubes.

Results

The experiment proved that amylase was efficient at converting starch into simple sugars. The first test tube exhibited a dark blue color when iodine was introduced, showing that starch was still present in the solution, and it was taken from the water bath after 10 minutes. However, the second test tube, which was taken out after 20 minutes, exhibited a bright blue tint, showing that the starch had partially broken down. When iodine was introduced to the third test tube, which was taken out after 30 minutes, no color changed, proving that all the starch had been converted to simple sugars.

Table 1: Table of outcomes:

Discussion

The findings demonstrate that amylase is crucial in converting complex carbohydrates into simpler sugars. It mainly occurs in the mouth and small intestine. This is since salivary glands and the pancreas release amylase during this process. Iodine was added at various intervals to track how amylase and starch interacted (Barr et al., 2014). Iodine is frequently employed as a starch indicator because it produces a blue-black color when it interacts with starch. The concentration of starch was reduced during the amylase and starch reaction, which led to a slow fading of the blue-black hue. Simultaneously, there was an increase in the concentration of simpler sugars like glucose and fructose. A yellow-brown hue appears afterward.

The outcomes of this experiment show that amylase is an essential component of the digestive system. One of its uses is that it converts complicated carbohydrates into simpler sugars. Without this enzyme, the body could not use the energy found in carbohydrates as efficiently (National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases, 2021). This experiment demonstrates the significance of amylase in digestion and offers a quick way to gauge its activity. Maintaining good digestive health requires understanding how amylase and other digestive enzymes work.

Conclusion

This experiment supports the significance of amylase’s role in the digestive tract. It does this by dissolving carbohydrates into simple sugars. The experiment also shows that the activity of amylase is time-dependent. The longer it is exposed to the starch, the better it is at destroying it. These results underline how crucial amylase is to the body’s absorption’ Also, it reveals how important it is in the digestion of nutrients.

References

Barr, S. I., DiFrancesco, L., & Fulgoni, V. L. (2014). Breakfast consumption is positively associated with nutrient adequacy in Canadian children and adolescents. British Journal of Nutrition, 112(8), 1373–1383. https://doi.org/10.1017/s0007114514002190

National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases (NIDDK). (2021, March). Your Digestive System & How it Works. Retrieved April 14, 2023, from https://www.niddk.nih.gov/health-information/digestive-diseases/digestive-system-how-it-works