Diastase
A diastase (/ˈdaɪəsteɪz/; from Greek διαστασις, "separation") is any one of a group of enzymes which catalyses the breakdown of starch into maltose. Alpha amylase degrades starch to a mixture of the disaccharide maltose, the trisaccharide maltotriose, which contains three α (1-4)-linked glucose residues, and oligosaccharides known as dextrins that contain the α (1-6)-linked glucose branches.[1] Diastase was the first enzyme discovered.[2] It was extracted from malt solution in 1833 by Anselme Payen and Jean-François Persoz, chemists at a French sugar factory.[3] The name "diastase" comes from the Greek word διάστασις (diastasis) (a parting, a separation) because when beer mash is heated, the enzyme causes the starch in the barley seed to transform quickly into soluble sugars and hence the husk to separate from the rest of the seed.[4][5] Today, diastase means any α-, β-, or γ-amylase (all of them hydrolases) that can break down carbohydrates.[6]
The commonly used -ase suffix for naming enzymes was derived from the name diastase.[7]
When used as a pharmaceutical drug, diastase has the ATC code A09AA01.
Amylases can also be extracted from other sources including plants, saliva and milk.
See also
References
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- ↑ See:
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- ↑ Payen & Persoz (1833), page 77. Payen and Persoz found diastase in the seeds of barley, oats, and wheat, as well as in potatoes (Payen & Persoz (1833), page 76).
- ↑ Payen & Persoz (1833), pages 75-76.
- ↑ Etymology of "diastase"
- ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
- ↑ The naming of enzymes using the suffix "-ase" has been traced to French scientist Émile Duclaux (1840-1904), who intended to honor the discoverers of diastase by introducing the practice in his book Traité de Microbiologie, vol. 2 (Paris, France: Masson and Co., 1899), Chapter 1, especially page 9.
- Payen, A. et J.-F. Persoz (1833)
"Mémoire sur la diastase, les principaux produits de ses réactions et leurs applications aux arts industriels", Annales de chimie et de physique, 2nd series, 53 : 73–92.
External links
- Diastase at the US National Library of Medicine Medical Subject Headings (MeSH)
