Diastase

Diastases are a group of enzymes which break down starch into the sugar maltose. Diastase was the first enzyme discovered. It was got from  malt solution in 1833 by Anselme Payen and Jean-François Persoz, chemists at a French sugar factory.Payen A. et J.-F. Persoz 1833.
Mémoire sur la diastase, les principaux produits de ses réactions et leurs applications aux arts industriels. Annales de chimie et de physique, 2nd series, 53: 73–92.

The name "diastase" comes from the Greek word διάστασις (diastasis). It means a parting or separation. The enzymes simply split the starch molecule.Oliver, Garrett 2011. The Oxford companion to beer. Oxford: Oxford University Press, p. 49. . "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". Today, diastase means any α-, β-, or γ-amylase that can break down carbohydrates.

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 term in his book Traité de Microbiologie, vol 2. Paris: Masson, 1899, Chapter 1, especially page 9. The breakdown of starches follows a general diastase-catalysed reaction:

A–B + H2O → A–OH + B–H

 References 

Category:Enzymes