AAMI Anatomy 1 Practice Exam 2026 - Free Anatomy Practice Questions and Study Guide

Carbohydrate digestion begins in the mouth with salivary amylase, an enzyme produced by the salivary glands and released into saliva. It starts breaking down starch by cleaving internal alpha-1,4 glycosidic bonds, producing smaller sugars like maltose and dextrins. This initial step occurs in the mouth; later, pancreatic amylase acts in the small intestine, and brush-border enzymes such as maltase and lactase digest disaccharides there. So the enzyme that initiates carbohydrate digestion in the mouth is salivary amylase.