Educational Module – Got Insulin? Understanding and Managing Type 1 Diabetes Mellitus
Activity #6
Title: Digestion of Starch by Amylase
Source: Laboratory Investigations for Biology, 2nd Edition, Jean Dickey, 2003.
Duration: Approximately two class periods (40-50 minutes each).
Objectives:
1. Students will be able to explain the purpose of carbohydrate digestion.
2. Students will be able to determine the role the pancreas plays in carbohydrate digestion.
3. Given pH (litmus) paper, students will be able to determine that pH (acidity) has no
bearing on the ability of amylase to digest starch.
4. Students will be able to hypothesize what might happen if amylase does not get secreted
by the pancreas during carbohydrate digestion.
Materials:
 Amylase (pancreatic extract)
 Starch
 pH paper
 1-mL – 5-mL Pipets
 0.5% HCl
 Droppers
 Wax marker
 Iodine reagent
 Parafilm
 Test tubes
 Deionized water
Applications:
1. Students should answer all the questions found in the laboratory activity (see below) in
either their laboratory handbooks or directly on the activity itself.
2. Students should be required to answer the following questions:
a. What is the purpose of the HCl and does it have an affect on carbohydrate
digestion?
b. Why does the starch turn blue? What does this mean?
c. Where does digestion begin and how do you know this?
d. What is the function of carbohydrate digestion?
e. What might happen if starches once converted to sugar are not digested properly?
Is this called something specific?
f. What is the role of the pancreas during carbohydrate digestion? Explain.
3. Once the laboratory exercise has been completed, the teacher can ask students to begin
thinking about other variables that might change the outcome of carbohydrate digestion.
Students will use their ideas to design their own original digestion laboratory investigation in
activity #7.
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Educational Module – Got Insulin? Understanding and Managing Type 1 Diabetes Mellitus
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Educational Module – Got Insulin? Understanding and Managing Type 1 Diabetes Mellitus
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Educational Module – Got Insulin? Understanding and Managing Type 1 Diabetes Mellitus
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Educational Module – Got Insulin? Understanding and Managing Type 1 Diabetes Mellitus
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