Diastase

{{Short description|Class of enzymes}}

A diastase ({{IPAc-en|ˈ|d|aɪ|ə|s|t|eɪ|z}}; from Greek διάστασις, "separation") is any one of a group of enzymes that catalyses the breakdown of starch into maltose. For example, the diastase α-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.{{Cite journal| doi=10.1056/NEJM197506052922308|

author=Gray, G.M.

| title=Carbohydrate digestion and absorption

| journal=New England Journal of Medicine

| year=1975

| volume=292| issue=23

| pages=1225–1230| pmid=1093023}}

Diastase was the first enzyme discovered.See:

• {{cite book|first1=Robert |last1=Hill |first2=Joseph |last2=Needham

|title=The Chemistry of Life: Eight Lectures on the History of Biochemistry |location=London |publisher=Cambridge University Press

|year=1970 |page=17

|isbn=9780521073790 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=IvM8AAAAIAAJ&pg=PA17}}

• {{cite book |first=Richard B. |last=Silverman |title=The Organic Chemistry of Enzyme-catalyzed Reactions |edition=2nd |location=London

|publisher=Academic Press |year=2002 |page=1

|isbn=9780126437317 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=Wj9EufQ2XEQC&pg=PA1}}

• {{cite book |first=Jochanan |last=Stenesh |title=Biochemistry

|volume=2 |location=New York |publisher=Plenum |year=1998 |page=83

|isbn=9780306457333 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=lp7sAL5oqFcC&pg=PA83}}

• {{cite book |editor1-first=Robert A. |editor1-last=Meyers |title= Molecular Biology and Biotechnology: A Comprehensive Desk Reference

|location=New York |publisher=Wiley-VCH |year=1995 |page=296

|isbn=9780471186342 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=2TjAqddKsscC&pg=PA296}} It was extracted from malt solution in 1833 by Anselme Payen and Jean-François Persoz, chemists at a French sugar factory.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). 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.Payen & Persoz (1833), pages 75-76.{{usurped|1=[https://web.archive.org/web/20110714142902/http://www.myetymology.com/english/diastase.html Etymology of "diastase"]}} Today, "diastase" refers to any α-, β-, or γ-amylase (all of which are hydrolases) that can break down carbohydrates.{{cite book |last=Oliver |first=Garrett

|title=The Oxford Companion to Beer |publisher=Oxford University Press

|location=Oxford |year=2011 |isbn=978-0199912100 |page=49

|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=oWQdjnVo2B0C&pg=PA49

|quote=Most of the activity of diastase can be attributed to the activities of two enzymes, alpha and beta amylase, and, to a lesser extent, gamma amylase (together, the amylases), although many other enzymes are also present. |access-date=2013-12-27}}

The commonly used -ase suffix for naming enzymes was derived from the name diastase.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 [https://archive.org/details/traitdemicrobi02ducl/page/9 Traité de Microbiologie], vol. 2 (Paris, France: Masson and Co., 1899), Chapter 1, especially page 9.

When used as a pharmaceutical drug, diastase has the ATC code {{ATC|A09|AA01}}.

Amylases can also be extracted from other sources including plants, saliva and milk.