Questions and Answers
What is the primary function of salivary amylase in digestion?
What is the function of mucus in the stomach during digestion?
What is the primary reason for the rhythmic contractions of the lining of the alimentary canal?
What is the role of hydrochloric acid in the stomach during digestion?
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What is the function of the muscular tongue during digestion?
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What is the primary function of the gastric glands in the stomach?
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What is the outcome of the digestion process in the mouth?
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What is the function of the food-pipe or oesophagus?
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What is the significance of the acidic medium created by hydrochloric acid in the stomach?
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What is the function of the stomach in digestion?
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Study Notes
Food Processing and Digestion
- Food must be processed to generate small particles of the same texture to pass through the digestive tract.
- Crushing food with teeth breaks it down into smaller particles.
- Saliva, secreted by salivary glands, wets the food to make its passage smooth.
- Saliva contains the enzyme salivary amylase, which breaks down starch into sugar.
- The muscular tongue mixes food thoroughly with saliva and moves it around the mouth during chewing.
- Peristaltic movements of the canal's muscular lining contract rhythmically to push food forward along the digestive tube.
The Stomach
- Food enters the stomach through the food-pipe or oesophagus.
- The stomach expands when food enters it, and its muscular walls help mix food with digestive juices.
- Gastric glands in the stomach wall release:
- Hydrochloric acid, which creates an acidic medium for the enzyme pepsin to function.
- Pepsin, a protein-digesting enzyme.
- Mucus, which protects the inner lining of the stomach from acid.
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Description
Learn about the process of digestion, from crushing food with teeth to the role of saliva in making food passage smooth. Understand how the body breaks down food for nutrient absorption.