amylase

Etymology

amyl- + -ase

noun

1. (biochemistry) Any of a class of digestive enzymes, present in saliva and also contributed to the gut by the exocrine pancreas, that break down complex carbohydrates such as starch into simpler sugars such as glucose.
   egg yolk amylase
   Egg yolks contain a starch-digesting enzyme, amylase, that is remarkably resistant to heat. Unless a starch-egg mix is brought to a full boil, the yolk amylase will survive, digest the starch, and turn the stiff cream into a pourable one. 2004, Harold McGee, chapter 2, in On Food and Cooking: The Science and Lore of the Kitchen, Scribner