Biology GCSE
Amylase
What Amylase means in Biology GCSE, as defined for AQA.
Definitions of Amylase
Exam boards and our study guides word this term in slightly different ways. Learn the version your board uses.
Check what you remember
Read the wording for your board, then hide it and explain Amylase in your own words. Rough notes are fine. This is a self-check, with no mark or grade.
Reference: AQA
Produced in the salivary glands and the pancreas, it acts on starch, breaking it down to sugars such as maltose.
A carbohydrase that specifically breaks down starch.
Topics that use Amylase
- The human digestive system (AQA GCSE)
Related terms
- Absorption and transport
- active site
- Active site and substrate binding
- Anabolic and catabolic reactions
- Apparatus and measurement skills
- Benedict’s test for reducing sugars
- Biological catalysts
- Cellular respiration
Using Amylase in the exam
Check the command word and mark scheme for your exact question. After comparing your explanation with the reference, use the term in an answer on the linked topic. This practice does not predict an exam mark.
Practise Biology questions
Create a free account to answer exam-style questions on this topic and get feedback on your answers.
Start free
All Biology GCSE termsA week of Premium from your first lesson · Then the free plan continues · No card, no charge