Amylolytic process or amylolysis is the conversion of

starch Starch or amylum is a polymeric carbohydrate consisting of numerous glucose units joined by glycosidic bonds. This polysaccharide is produced by most green plants for energy storage. Worldwide, it is the most common carbohydrate in human diet ...

into

sugar Sugar is the generic name for sweet-tasting, soluble carbohydrates, many of which are used in food. Simple sugars, also called monosaccharides, include glucose Glucose is a sugar with the Chemical formula#Molecular formula, molecul ...

by the action of

acids An acid is a molecule or ion capable of either donating a proton (i.e. hydrogen cation, H+), known as a Brønsted–Lowry acid, or forming a covalent bond with an electron pair, known as a Lewis acid. The first category of acids are the ...

enzymes An enzyme () is a protein that acts as a biological catalyst by accelerating chemical reactions. The molecules upon which enzymes may act are called substrates, and the enzyme converts the substrates into different molecules known as pro ...

such as

amylase An amylase () is an enzyme that catalysis, catalyses the hydrolysis of starch (Latin ') into sugars. Amylase is present in the saliva of humans and some other mammals, where it begins the chemical process of digestion. Foods that contain large ...

. Starch begins to pile up inside the leaves of plants during times of light when starch is able to be produced by photosynthetic processes. This ability to make starch disappears in the dark due to the lack of illumination; there is insufficient amount of light produced during the dark needed to carry this reaction forward. Turning starch into sugar is done by the enzyme amylase.

Different pathways of amylase & location of amylase activity

The process in which amylase breaks down starch for sugar consumption is not consistent with all organisms that use amylase to breakdown stored starch. There are different amylase pathways that are involved in starch degradation. The occurrence of starch degradation into sugar by the enzyme amylase was most commonly known to take place in the

Chloroplast A chloroplast () is a type of membrane-bound organelle, organelle known as a plastid that conducts photosynthesis mostly in plant cell, plant and algae, algal cells. Chloroplasts have a high concentration of chlorophyll pigments which captur ...

, but that has been proven wrong. One example is the spinach plant, in which the chloroplast contains both

alpha Alpha (uppercase , lowercase ) is the first letter of the Greek alphabet. In the system of Greek numerals, it has a value of one. Alpha is derived from the Phoenician letter ''aleph'' , whose name comes from the West Semitic word for ' ...

and beta amylase (They are different versions of amylase involved in the breakdown of starch and they differ in their substrate specificity). In spinach leaves, the extrachloroplastic region contains the highest level of amylase degradation of starch. The difference between chloroplast and extrachloroplastic starch degradation is in the amylase pathway they prefer; either beta or alpha amylase. For spinach leaves, Alpha-amylase is preferred but for plants/organisms like wheat, barley, peas, etc. the Beta-amylase is preferred.

Usage

The amylolytic process is used in the brewing of alcohol from grains. Since grains contain starches but little to no simple sugars, the sugar needed to produce alcohol is derived from starch via the amylolytic process. In beer brewing, this is done through

malting Malting is the process of steeping, germinating, and drying grain to convert it into malt. Germination and sprouting involve a number of enzymes to produce the changes from seed to seedling and the malt producer stops this stage of the process w ...

. In

sake Sake, , or saki, also referred to as Japanese rice wine, is an alcoholic beverage of Japanese origin made by fermenting rice that has been polished to remove the bran. Despite the name ''Japanese rice wine'', sake, and indeed any East Asi ...

brewing, the mold

Aspergillus oryzae ''Aspergillus oryzae'', also known as , is a mold used in East Asia to saccharify rice, sweet potato, and barley in the making of alcoholic beverages such as '' sake'' and '' shōchū'', and also to ferment soybeans for making soy sauce and '' ...

provides amylolysis, and in

Tapai ''Tapai'' (also ''tapay'' or ''tape'') is a traditional fermented preparation of rice or other starchy foods, and is found throughout much of Southeast Asia, especially in Austronesian cultures, and parts of East Asia. It refers to both th ...

Saccharomyces cerevisiae ''Saccharomyces cerevisiae'' () (brewer's yeast or baker's yeast) is a species of yeast (single-celled fungal microorganisms). The species has been instrumental in winemaking, baking, and brewing since ancient times. It is believed to have be ...

. The amylolytic process can also be used to allow for maximum results in production. For instance, glucose formation, when amylolytic enzymes are added to a given compound, the enzymes work to give maximum formation. The amylolytic process is also useful in the breaking down of molecules, it can be closely associated with the process of hydrolysis.

References

Carbohydrate chemistry Biochemistry Cooking techniques Rice wine {{Biochemistry-stub

Different pathways of amylase & location of amylase activity

Usage

See also

References