Describe carbohydrate digestion, including the processes occurring in the mouth, stomach, small intestines, and large intestines to break down polysaccharides, disaccharides, monosaccharides, and the fate of fiber

Answer 1

?Carbohydrate digestion begins in the mouth with salivary enzymes (salivary amylase) that can break down starches into smaller polysaccharides and disaccharides. Digestion of carbohydrates ceases in the stomach, as acids in the stomach create a pH environment that is unfriendly to the enzymes that break down the carbohydrates. Fiber in the stomach also remains intact, which helps with a feeling of fullness. In the small intestines, enzymes are secreted that completely break all of the polysaccharides (pancreatic amylase) and disaccharides (maltase, sucrase, and lactase) into monosaccharides, which are then absorbed into the body. The cellulose passes through the small intestines untouched and into the large intestines. Some of fiber is digested by bacteria living in the large intestine, while most remains intact, aiding with defecation by retaining water and increasing heart health by binding cholesterol for elimination.