Which of the following is an end product of starch digestion by amylase?

• A. Maltose
• B. Glucose
• C. Maltose and Glucose
• D. Amylase

Answer: (C)

Amylase starts starch breakdown by cutting the long chains into smaller pieces, mainly producing maltose and maltotriose as immediate products. Those maltose molecules don’t remain the final absorbable units, because the brush-border enzyme maltase in the small intestine splits maltose into glucose. So, when you view the digestion process as a whole, the products you end up with for absorption are glucose, while maltose appears as a direct product of amylase action. In some contexts you’ll see maltose listed as an end product of amylase action and glucose as the product after subsequent enzymatic action; together they reflect the sequential steps that complete starch digestion.