Final answer:
Salivary amylase, produced by both the salivary glands and the pancreas, is responsible for the digestion of starch. It begins the process in the mouth and continues in the small intestine where pancreatic amylase completes the digestion.
Step-by-step explanation:
Salivary amylase is made in both the salivary gland and the Pancreas and digests starch. This enzyme is crucial in the process of digestion and begins to act on starch as soon as it enters the mouth.
In the mouth, salivary amylase, also known as ptylin, starts the decomposition of carbohydrates by breaking down starch into maltose. The optimum pH for salivary amylase is 6.9. As the chewed food, mixed with saliva, moves down the esophagus, the enzyme continues its action, albeit briefly, because it is soon inactivated by the acidic environment of the stomach.
Subsequently, the digestion process is taken over by pancreatic amylase in the small intestine, which completes the chemical digestion of carbohydrates. The pancreatic juice also assists in neutralizing the acidic chyme with its high bicarbonate content. Together, these amylases play a key role in converting starch into sugars that can be absorbed by the body as energy sources.