Question

How does hydrolysis relate to digestion?

Answer 1

Hydrolysis is the chemical reaction in which the water causes the breakdown of large molecules into smaller molecules. Digestion is the process by which large and complex molecules are broken down into small and easily absorbable molecules.

Complete answer:
The digestive system is made up of organs which converts the food we eat to energy which is required to perform various functions in the body. There various organs in the body are,
1)Oral cavity
2)Esophagus
3)Stomach
4)Small intestine
5)Large intestine
6)Rectum

The food we eat needs to be digested in our bodies. The food contains all major macromolecules i.e. carbohydrates, proteins, lipids, and nucleic acids. The compounds undergo hydrolysis reactions in presence of enzymes to break down macromolecules in the food. The breakdown of food is important as we cannot absorb large macromolecules from the food. These need to be broken down into simpler molecules to make it easy for our food to be absorbed by our small intestines.

The enzymes used in these reactions do not participate in the reactions but act as a catalyst to break these molecules by the addition of water. This is necessary as they speed up reactions that are otherwise very slow.

For example, the proteins can be hydrolyzed into amino acids in the presence of enzymes called proteases. Food also contains carbohydrates in the form of amylase (plant carbohydrate) and glycogen (animal carbohydrate). The enzymes like amylases break down the amylase into the simple monosaccharide. RNA and DNA are hydrolyzed by the enzymes ribonucleases and deoxyribonucleases (pancreatic enzymes) into the nucleic acids.

Lipases help in the hydrolysis of the lipids into the glycerol molecules and fatty acid molecules. Lipases are released by the pancreas.

Hence, the correct answer is option ()

Note: The various characteristics of human digestive system are,
1)There are 6 major steps in the process of digestion
2)They help in breaking down of food particles into nutrients which act as energy sources and help in cell growth and repair
3)The various disorders of the digestive system are - diarrhoea, vomiting, constipation, etc