A diastase (from Greek διαστασις, "separation") is any one of a group of enzymes which catalyses the breakdown of starch into maltose. It was the first type of enzyme discovered, in 1833, by Anselme Payen, who found it in malt solution. Today, diastase means any α-, β-, or γ-amylase (all of them hydrolases) that can break down carbohydrates. Neuraminidase ribbon diagram An enzyme (in Greek en = in and zyme = blend) is a protein, or protein complex, that catalyzes a chemical reaction and also controls the 3D orientation of the catalyzed substrates. ... In chemistry and biology, catalysis is the acceleration (increase in rate) of a chemical reaction by means of a substance, called a catalyst, that is itself not consumed by the overall reaction. ... Starch (CAS# 9005-25-8, chemical formula (C6H10O5)n,[1]) is a mixture of amylose and amylopectin (usually in 20:80 or 30:70 ratios). ... Maltose, or malt sugar, is a disaccharide formed from two units of glucose joined with an α(1→4) linkage. ... Anselme Payen ([[January 6], 1795 - May 12, 1871) was a French chemist. ... Malted barley Malting is a process applied to cereal grains, in which the grains are made to germinate and then are quickly dried before the plant develops. ... Amylase is the name given to glycoside hydrolase enzymes that break down starch into glucose molecules. ... In biochemistry, a hydrolase is an enzyme that can break a chemical bond by hydrolysis. ... Carbohydrates (literally hydrates of carbon) are chemical compounds that act as the primary biological means of storing or consuming energy, other forms being fat and protein. ...

The commonly used -ase suffix for naming enzymes was derived from the name diastase. The suffix -ase is used in biochemistry to form names of enzymes. ...

External links

• A09AA01
• MeSH Diastase

It is commonly found in plants A division of the Anatomical Therapeutic Chemical Classification System A Alimentary tract and metabolism A09A Digestives, including enzymes A09AA Enzyme preparations A09AA01 Diastase A09AA02 Multienzymes (lipase, protease, etc. ... Medical Subject Headings (MeSH) is a huge controlled vocabulary (or metadata system) for the purpose of indexing journal articles and books in the life sciences. ...