The hydrolysis of proteins by diluting mineral acids produces

Step 1: Analyze the question The question asks what you get when proteins are broken down (hydrolysed) by dilute mineral acids such as HCl or H₂SO₄.

Step 2: The concept Hydrolysis means breaking a bond using water. Each class of food molecule breaks down into its own building blocks:

| Food class | Hydrolysis product | |---|---| | Proteins | Amino acids | | Carbohydrates (e.g. starch, sucrose) | Simple sugars (e.g. glucose, fructose) | | Fats and oils | Fatty acids and glycerol |

Step 3: The solution Proteins are long chains of amino acids joined by peptide (amide) bonds, –CO–NH–.

When a protein is heated with a dilute mineral acid, water breaks the peptide bonds:

–CO–NH– + H₂O → –COOH + H₂N–

Repeated along the whole chain, this releases the individual amino acids.

Checking the other options:

• A. Sucrose is a disaccharide, a carbohydrate, and has nothing to do with proteins.
• B. Glucose comes from hydrolysis of starch, cellulose or sucrose.
• D. Fatty acids come from hydrolysis of fats and oils (along with glycerol).

Step 4: The answer The correct option is C. amino acids.

Tip: Match each food class to its building blocks:

• Proteins → Amino acids
• Carbohydrates → Sugars
• Fats → Fatty acids + glycerol