maltase

thumb|Maltose thumb|Ligand (NAG) interactions in Maltase-Glucoamylase thumb|Interactions of oligosaccharides in Alpha-amylase Maltase is an informal name for a family of enzymes that catalyze the hydrolysis of disaccharide maltose into two simple sugars of glucose. Maltases are found in plants, bacteria, yeast, humans, and other vertebrates.

Digestion of starch requires six intestinal enzymes. Two of these enzymes are luminal endo-glucosidases named alpha-amylases. The other four enzymes have been identified as different maltases, exo-glucosidases bound to the luminal surface of enterocytes. Two of these maltase activities were associated with sucrase-isomaltase (maltase Ib, maltase Ia). The other two maltases with no distinguishing characteristics were named maltase-glucoamylase (maltases II and III). The activities of these four maltases are also described as alpha-glucosidase because they all digest linear starch oligosaccharides to glucose.