The end product of the digestion of carbohydrate is?

1. Analyze the question The question asks for the final product after carbohydrates have been completely digested in the body.

2. Explain the concept Carbohydrates are made of sugar units. Digestion breaks them down with enzymes until they are small enough to be absorbed into the blood:

• Starch is broken down by salivary and pancreatic amylase into maltose.
• Maltose is broken down by maltase into glucose.
• Sucrose is broken down by sucrase into glucose + fructose.
• Lactose is broken down by lactase into glucose + galactose.

So the final products are monosaccharides, mainly glucose.

3. Go through the options

• A. Amino acid: This is the end product of protein digestion, so it is wrong.
• B. Glycerol: This is a product of fat (lipid) digestion, along with fatty acids, so it is wrong.
• C. Glucose: This is the end product of carbohydrate digestion, so it is correct.
• D. Sucrose: This is a disaccharide, a carbohydrate that still needs to be digested, so it is not an end product.

4. Answer The correct option is **C.

5. Exam tip Remember the pairing of food class and end product:

• Carbohydrates → glucose (simple sugars)
• Proteins → amino acids
• Fats and oils → fatty acids and glycerol

Whenever JAMB asks for an "end product of digestion", match the food class to its building blocks.