n. a digestive enzyme (e.g. *pepsin) that splits a whole protein into small peptide fractions by splitting the linkages between peptides in the interior of the molecule. Compare exopeptidase. See also peptidase.
n. the process whereby complex protein molecules, obtained from the diet, are broken down by digestive enzymes in the stomach and small intestine into their constituent amino acids, which are then absorbed into the bloodstream. See endopeptidase; exopeptidase. —proteolytic adj.... proteolysis
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