<Tr> <Td> </Td> <Td> This article is an orphan, as no other articles link to it . Please introduce links to this page from related articles; try the Find link tool for suggestions . (September 2014) </Td> </Tr> <P> All carbohydrates absorbed in the small intestine must be hydrolyzed to monosaccharides prior to absorption . Hydrolysis precedes transport of monosaccharides in hamster intestine . From sucrose, glucose is taken up much faster than fructose . Monosaccharide transport saturates with D - glucose at 30 mM . </P> <P> Digestion of starch begins with the action of salivary alpha - amylase / ptyalin, although its activity is slight in comparison with that of pancreatic amylase in the small intestine . Amylase hydrolyzes starch to alpha - dextrin, which are then digested by gluco - amylase (alpha - dextrinases) to maltose and maltotriose . The products of digestion of alpha - amylase and alpha - dextrinase, along with dietary disaccharides are hydrolyzed to their corresponding monosaccharides by enzymes (maltase, isomaltase, sucrase and lactase) present in the brush border of the small intestine . In the typical Western diet, digestion and absorption of carbohydrates is fast and takes place usually in the upper small intestine . However, when the diet contains carbohydrates not easily digestible, digestion and absorption take place mainly in the ileal portion of the intestine . </P> <P> Digestion of food continues while simplest elements are absorbed . The absorption of most digested food occurs in the small intestine through the brush border of the epithelium covering the villi (small hair - like structure). It is not a simple diffusion of substances, but is active and requires energy use by the epithelial cells . </P>

What 3 carbohydrates are absorbed by an epithelial cell