Digestive Enzymes

Do Now:
1. Name 4 organs in the digestive system.
2. Why does the stomach contain acid?
Challenge: How has the small intestine
adapted to perform its function
 Digestive Enzymes
Red Pens Out
1. Name 4 organs in the digestive system.
Mouth, stomach, liver, pancreas, small
intestine, large intestine
2. Why does the stomach contain acid?
To kill harmful bacteria
Challenge: How has the small intestine
adapted to perform its function. It has
villi which have large surface area
 Digestive Enzymes
Learning objectives:
• Describe the role of enzymes in digestion
• Name three key enzymes in the digestive system
Task: Watch the following video and answer the
following questions:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=32gNePkj1_4

1. What is the main purpose of digestion?

2. What are enzymes? Why are they needed during

digestion?

3. What are the three food groups that enzymes work on?

4. What is peristalsis?

5. What are some of the adaptations of the small intestine

that speed up digestion?
Self-assessment:
1. The purpose of digestion is break down large food molecules into
small, soluble molecules that can be absorbed by the blood.

2. Enzymes are biological catalysts, they are needed to speed up a

reaction or the break down of a substance. In digestion they speed
up the break down of large food molecules in the mouth, stomach
and small intestine.

3. The three main food groups that are digested are carbohydrates,
proteins and fats.

4. Peristalsis is the movement of food along the digestive tract by

contractions of muscles in the lining of the organs

5. The small intestine has Villi which increases the surface area, a thin
layer of cells and very good blood supply which allows for quick
absorption of food molecules.
Digestive juices
Your teeth begin digestion by chewing food, this breaks
it down into smaller chunks.

The saliva in your mouth and your digestive juices, found

in your stomach and small intestine, contains enzymes.

Enzymes are
proteins which act
a molecular
‘scissors’ by
chopping larger
molecules down into
smaller molecules.
Task: Complete the table to explain the actions &
roles of the digestive enzymes in the body.
You will need to talk to different people as each of
you will have a different enzyme at the bottom of
your worksheet - lipase, protease, amylase.
Self-assessment:
Enzyme Where it is made Where it works What it does
Protease Stomach, pancreas, Stomach, small breaks protein
small intestine intestine molecules in to amino
acids.

Lipase Pancreas, small Intestine breaks fat molecules

intestine into fatty acids and
glycerol

Amylase Salivary glands, Mouth, small Breaks down starch

pancreas intestine into sugars
Exam-style question
1. Complete the following sentences using the key words:

amino acids, fats, proteins, starch, fatty acids, sugar

Amylase speeds up the digestion of ____________. The product of

this digestion is ____________. Protease speeds the up the
digestion of ____________, the product of this digestion is
_____________.
(4 marks)

2. Why is it important that molecules of starch, protein & fat be

digested?
(2 marks)

3. What do we call substances, such as protease, which speed up

Self-assessment:
1. Complete the following sentences using the key words:

amino acids, fats, proteins, starch, fatty acids, sugar

Amylase speeds up the digestion of starch. The product of this

digestion is sugar. Protease speeds the up the digestion of
proteins, the product of this digestion is amino acids.

(4
marks)

2. So they are broken down into small soluble molecules which can
be absorbed into the blood stream more readily
(2 marks)

3. Biological catalysts/enzymes
Resources
1. What is the main purpose of digestion?

2. What are enzymes? Why are they needed

during digestion?

3. What are the three food groups that

enzymes work on?

4. What is peristalsis?

5. What are some of the adaptations of the

small intestine that speed up digestion?

1. What is the main purpose of digestion?

2. What are enzymes? Why are they needed

during digestion?

3. What are the three food groups that

enzymes work on?

4. What is peristalsis?

5. What are some of the adaptations of the

small intestine that speed up digestion?
Carbohydrates such as starch are broken down into simple sugars such
as glucose
Amylase is produced in the salivary glands and used in the mouth
Carbohydrase is produced in the pancreas and used in the small
intestine
Lipids (fats and oils) are broken
down into fatty acids and
glycerol in the small intestine.
Fats are broken down by the
enzyme lipase. Bile (made in
the liver) helps to break down
fats. Fatty acids