Which of the following functions is not performed by secretions from salivary glands?
- Control bacterial population in mouth
- Digestion of complex carbohydrates
- Lubrication of oral cavity
- Digestion of disaccharides
Answer
(4) Digestion of disaccharides
Solution
As per NCERT, saliva contains electrolytes, the enzymes salivary amylase and lysozyme, and mucus.
Lysozyme acts as an antibacterial agent and controls the bacterial population in the mouth.
Salivary amylase hydrolyses starch (a complex carbohydrate) into the disaccharide maltose.
Mucus in saliva lubricates the oral cavity and helps to form the bolus.
Saliva has no enzyme that digests disaccharides; maltose, lactose and sucrose are digested in the small intestine by maltase, lactase and sucrase.
Answer: (4)