What is the name of the enzyme in saliva that breaks down starch? The enzyme in saliva that begins breaking down starch is amylase, specifically salivary alpha-amylase.
Salivary amylase starts carbohydrate digestion in the mouth by hydrolysing some of the chemical bonds in starch. It produces shorter carbohydrate chains, including dextrins and maltose. This is why a starchy food such as bread, rice, or potato can develop a slightly sweet taste when chewed for a long time.
The enzyme was historically called ptyalin. In 1831, Erhard Friedrich Leuchs described the breakdown of starch by saliva and linked it to this enzyme. The name amylase comes from amylum, the Latin word for starch. Salivary amylase works best in the near-neutral conditions of the mouth, but its activity is reduced as food reaches the strongly acidic stomach.
Amylase is not limited to saliva. The pancreas also produces alpha-amylase, which continues starch digestion in the small intestine. Amylase should not be confused with lipase, which acts on fats, or protease, which acts on proteins. Lactase instead digests the milk sugar lactose.