AP BIOLOGY

Detailed explanation-1: -Saliva contains special enzymes that help digest the starches in your food. An enzyme called amylase breaks down starches (complex carbohydrates) into sugars, which your body can more easily absorb.

Detailed explanation-2: -Digestion begins in the mouth with salivary amylase released during the process of chewing. There is a positive feedback loop resulting in increased oral amylase secretion in people consuming diets high in carbohydrates. The amylase is synthesized in the serous cells of the salivary glands.

Detailed explanation-3: -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-4: -As food is being chewed, saliva, produced by the salivary glands, mixes with the food. Saliva is a watery substance produced in the mouths of many animals. There are three major glands that secrete saliva-the parotid, the submandibular, and the sublingual.

Detailed explanation-5: -Carbohydrates are not chemically broken down in the stomach, but rather in the small intestine. Pancreatic amylase and the disaccharidases finish the chemical breakdown of digestible carbohydrates. The monosaccharides are absorbed into the bloodstream and delivered to the liver.