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Definition of "amylase" []

  • Any of a group of enzymes that are present in saliva, pancreatic juice, and parts of plants and catalyze the hydrolysis of starch to sugar to produce carbohydrate derivatives. (noun)

American Heritage(R) Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright (c) 2011 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

Use "amylase" in a sentence
  • "Alpha-amylase is secreted into saliva by the parotid gland, the largest of the salivary glands."
  • "The sprouting barley seedlings can provide an enzyme called amylase that breaks down starch into maltose a sugar."
  • "Dr. Shaw has found that the enzyme amylase, which is present in human saliva, rises in sleep-deprived flies."