ANATOMY

Detailed explanation-1: -As food travels from your mouth into your digestive system, it’s broken down by digestive enzymes that turn it into smaller nutrients that your body can easily absorb. This breakdown is known as chemical digestion. Without it, your body wouldn’t be able to absorb nutrients from the foods you eat.

Detailed explanation-2: -Four examples of chemical digestion are amylase in the saliva, hydrochloric acid in the stomach, pepsin in the stomach, and lipase in the small intestine.

Detailed explanation-3: -The chemical reaction that’s central to chemical digestion is called hydrolysis. It’s the process of incorporating water molecules into larger molecular structures. This breaks them down into smaller parts and makes it much easier for your cells to absorb the nutrients in your food.

Detailed explanation-4: -Mechanical digestion in the oral cavity consists of grinding of food into smaller pieces by the teeth, a process called mastication. Chemical digestion in the mouth is minor but consists of salivary amylase (ptyalin, or alpha-amylase) and lingual lipase, both contained in the saliva.

Detailed explanation-5: -Mechanical digestion occurs as layers of muscle in the stomach lining contract to produce a mixing and churning motion. Chemical digestion is carried out by stomach juices that contain enzymes and hydrochloric acid. When the food has been turned into liquid form, it moves onto the small intestine.