ptyalin

American  

[tahy-uh-lin] / ˈtaɪ ə lɪn /

noun

Biochemistry.

1. an enzyme in the saliva that converts starch into dextrin and maltose.

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ptyalin British  

/ ˈtaɪəlɪn /

noun

1. biochem an amylase secreted in the saliva of man and other animals

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ptyalin Scientific  

/ tī′ə-lĭn /

1. An enzyme found in the saliva of humans and herbivorous animals that helps in the predigestion of starches. Ptyalin is a type of amylase.

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Etymology

Origin of ptyalin

1835–45; < Greek ptýal ( on ) spittle, saliva + -in ²

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Example Sentences

See Examples For:

ptyalin

With age, a digestive change definitely involving an enzyme occurs in the salivary glands : they secrete less ptyalin, an enzyme that converts starch into sugars.

From Time Magazine Archive

The diastase of the malt has the same action on starch as the ptyalin in the saliva.

From The Chemistry of Food and Nutrition by A. W. Duncan

Amylopsin is much more powerful and rapid than the ptyalin of the saliva, especially on uncooked starch.

From The Chemistry of Food and Nutrition by A. W. Duncan

This action is due to the amylopsin,61 which is similar to ptyalin but is more vigorous.

From Physiology and Hygiene for Secondary Schools by Francis M. Walters

Thus, while the mother feeds her child upon a diet which it is not yet prepared to deal with, she supplies from her own mouth the necessary moisture, warmth and ptyalin for making it digestible.

From The Fijians A Study of the Decay of Custom by Basil Thomson

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