Final answer:
Carbohydrate digestion primarily takes place in the small intestine, though it begins in the mouth. Enzymatic action is halted in the stomach, but resumes and completes in the small intestine with the help of numerous enzymes.
Step-by-step explanation:
The majority of carbohydrate digestion occurs in the Small intestine. While carbohydrate digestion begins in the mouth with the action of salivary amylase on starch, creating a mixture of dextrins, maltose, and glucose, this process is rapidly halted in the acidic environment of the stomach. Then, in the small intestine, pancreatic α-amylase breaks down the remaining starch molecules, and the brush-border enzymes such as maltase, sucrase, and lactase act on their respective disaccharides. Ultimately, this results in the final hydrolysis products: glucose, fructose, and galactose, which are then absorbed into the bloodstream.
Carbohydrate digestion begins in the mouth where salivary amylase breaks down starch into dextrins, maltose, and glucose. However, this digestion process is quickly inactivated in the acidic environment of the stomach. The primary site for carbohydrate digestion is the small intestine, where a-amylase converts starch and dextrins to maltose and other disaccharides are broken down into monosaccharides.