Digestive enzyme

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Digestive enzymes are enzymes in the alimentary tract that break down food so that the organism can absorb it. The main sites of action are the oral cavity, the stomach, the duodenum and the jejunum. They are secreted by different glands: the salivary glands, the glands in the stomach, the pancreas, and the glands in the small intestines.

Oral cavity

In the oral cavity, salivary glands secrete ptyalin. It is a type of α-amylase, which digests starch into small segments of multiple sugars and into individual soluble sugars. Secreted by small and large salivary glands.

Salivary glands also secrete lysozyme, which kills bacteria but is not classified as a digestive enzyme.

Esophagus

There are no digestive enzymes secreted in the esophagus.

Stomach

The enzymes that get secreted in the stomach are called gastric enzymes. These are the following:

Small intestine

Pancreatic enzymes

The pancreas is the main digestive gland in our body. It secretes the enzymes:

Proper small intestine enzymes

Six types of enzymes degrade disaccharides into monosaccharides:

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