how does amylase breakdown starch to form maltose?

Question

how does amylase breakdown starch to form maltose

Answer 1

Starch is a bunch of glucoses linked together (by alpha 1,4 linkage) to make a polysaccharide.

Maltose is 2 glucoses linked together by alpha 1,4 linkage (a disaccharide)

When beta-amylase breaks down starch, it removes two glucose units at a time, producing maltose.

gluc-gluc-gluc-gluc-gluc-gluc-....... This is starch

gluc-gluc-gluc-gluc-gluc-gluc-....... + amylase ==> gluc-gluc + gluc-gluc, etc

The gluc-gluc is maltose