NEET BIOLOGY

Detailed explanation-1: -Hydrochloric acid is an acid, it does not make the stomach medium alkaline. Instead, it makes the medium acidic, which aids the correct functioning of specific enzymes. The acidic conditions of the stomach also help in the killing of pathogenic microbes that enter along with the food particles.

Detailed explanation-2: -The hydrochloric acid in the gastric juice breaks down the food and the digestive enzymes split up the proteins. The acidic gastric juice also kills bacteria.

Detailed explanation-3: -The stomach produces hydrochloric acid. Mucus covers the stomach wall with a protective layer. Hydrochloric acid helps your body break down, digest, and absorb nutrients like proteins and kills bacteria protecting the body from infections. Histamine stimulates parietal cells to secrete HCl.

Detailed explanation-4: -Triprotic acids, such as citric acid, kill biofilm bacteria at pH < pKa1. However, at a pH between pKa1 and pKa2, citric acid is effective in killing the bacteria at the core of biofilm microcolonies but does not kill the bacteria on the periphery.

Detailed explanation-5: -Hydrochloric acid makes the environment in the stomach acidic, kills the microbes in the stomach which enter with the food and provides a desired acidic medium so that the enzyme pepsin can act on the food.