Glucoamylase (also known as amyloglucosidase) is a type of digestive enzyme that cleaves or breaks off a free glucose molecule from the complex sugar-based chains that form starch or from the simpler sugar, maltose. The glucose that is freed can then be used as a source of energy for the body.
Glucoamylase helps to break down starch that occurs naturally in most vegetables that we eat (in very high amounts in common foods like potatoes, corn, rice, and wheat) or is added as filler or processing additive in many prepared food products. It is a specific type of amylase (starch-digesting enzyme) that our bodies produce in the mouth and pancreas, but it may also be derived from non-animal sources.
Glucoamylase is often described separately from amylase because it digests starches in a particular way, removing free glucose molecules from the end of the starchy chains rather than simply breaking these longer chains simply into smaller chains. It is part of an extremely important group of enzymes that allow us to absorb nutrients and create energy from some of the most common plant foods that we eat.