ANATOMY

Detailed explanation-1: -Chemical digestion in the mouth is minor but consists of salivary amylase (ptyalin, or alpha-amylase) and lingual lipase, both contained in the saliva. Salivary amylase is chemically identical to pancreatic amylase and digests starch into maltose and maltotriose, working at a pH optimum of 6.7 to 7.0.

Detailed explanation-2: -The mouth is the beginning of the digestive tract. In fact, digestion starts here as soon as you take the first bite of a meal. Chewing breaks the food into pieces that are more easily digested, while saliva mixes with food to begin the process of breaking it down into a form your body can absorb and use.

Detailed explanation-3: -Very little chemical digestion occurs in the mouth. This is a (a) TRUE statement. Saliva contains an enzyme called amylase, which begins the process of carbohydrate digestion, but to a limited degree. Most digestion occurs within the stomach and small intestine.

Detailed explanation-4: -You begin to digest carbohydrates the minute the food hits your mouth. The saliva secreted from your salivary glands moistens food as it’s chewed. Saliva releases an enzyme called amylase, which begins the breakdown process of the sugars in the carbohydrates you’re eating.