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zzwChris zzwChris
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11 years ago
considering that amylase works in the mouth, and theoretically at 37 degrees... if you were eating or drinking something, with a high temperature, would amylase still be able to break down the starch?
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#1
11 years ago
It is doubtful if you could handle a hot food or beverage at much more than 42-44 degrees by mouth, so amylase (ptyalin) would still break down starch a bit--it takes several minutes to heat inactivate the enzyme at these temperatures.
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#2
11 years ago
Yes, although enzymes, including amylase, tend to denature after this temperature, they don't just suddenly stop after 37 degrees. Some of the enzyme molecules will break down earlier than others.

A simple answer to your question is: Yes, amylase will still break down starch, but at a slower rate than its optimum temperature of 37.4 degrees (research for confirmation of the decimal place - thats just from the top of my head)
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