What are digestive enzymes?

"What are the benefits of digestive enzymes? The answer is simple: Without them, we couldn’t process food"
https://draxe.com/nutrition/digestive-enzymes/

"Digestive enzymes all belong to the hydrolase class, and their action is one of splitting up large food molecules into their ‘building block’ components"
https://www.sciencelearn.org.nz/resources/1840-digestive-enzymes

"Digestive enzymes play a key role in breaking down the food you eat. These proteins speed up chemical reactions that turn nutrients into substances that your digestive tract can absorb.

Your saliva has digestive enzymes in it. Some of your organs, including your pancreas, gallbladder, and liver, also release them. Cells on the surface of your intestines store them, too."
https://www.webmd.com/diet/what-are-digestive-enzymes

"The body secretes a variety of enzymes to break down the foods that we eat—some are secreted starting in the mouth, and others further down in the digestive tract. "The most important enzyme categories are the proteases (which break down proteins), lipases (fats), and amylases (starches and sugars)," says Ken Berry, MD, Tennessee-based board-certified family physician and author of Lies My Doctor Told Me."
https://www.health.com/condition/digestive-health/digestive-enzymes

"The main types of enzymes are:

Amylase: Breaks down carbohydrates, or starches, into sugar molecules. Insufficient amylase can lead to diarrhea.

Lipase: Works with liver bile to break down fats. If you don’t have enough lipase, you’ll be lacking in fat-soluble vitamins such as A, D, E, and K.

Protease: Breaks down proteins into amino acids. It also helps keep bacteria, yeast, and protozoa out of the intestines. A shortage of protease can lead to allergies or toxicity in the intestines."

https://www.healthline.com/health/exocrine-pancreatic-insufficiency/the-role-of-digestive-enzymes-in-gi-disorders#types

"Naturally occurring digestive enzymes help break down food so we can soak up nutrients. Your mouth, stomach, and small intestine make some digestive enzymes. However, the majority come from your pancreas, which floods the small intestine (when food arrives there) with enzymes such as

lipase, which breaks down fats
amylase, which breaks down carbohydrates
proteases and peptidases, which break down proteins."

https://www.health.harvard.edu/staying-healthy/gut-reaction-a-limited-role-for-digestive-enzyme-supplements

"Digestive enzymes are able to break down proteins and carbohydrates and lipids, and their supplementation may play a role in the management of digestive disorders, from lactose intolerance to cystic fibrosis"
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4923703/

"Some foods have naturally occurring digestive enzymes that contribute to the breakdown of certain specific nutrients."
https://www.verywellhealth.com/what-are-digestive-enzymes-1945036