3.2.3 hbs digestive project (Stomach & esophagus)

Does any digestion of food occur in the esophagus?

Inside the esophagus, there is no digestion, only in the mouth, stomach, and intestines.

What mechanical and chemical digestion occurs in the stomach?

The chemical aspect is the breakdown of the food in the stomach with all of the stomach acids. The mechanical aspect is when your stomach is "churning" the food it just Digested.

What is chyme and how does the stomach mix this material?

Chyme is the pulpy acidic fluid that passes from the stomach to the small intestine, consisting of gastric juices and partly digested food. The stomach mixes the material through food secretions.

What are sphincters and how are they related to the stomach?

Sphincters are rings of muscle surrounding and serving to guard or close an opening or tube, such as the anus or the openings of the stomach. They relate to the stomach by allowing foods to enter from the esophagus after swallowing and to let the food enter into the stomach and right before the food is going to enter into the small intestine.

What are the primary functions of the stomach?

The main function of the stomach is to break down and digest food in order to extract necessary nutrients from what you have eaten. In order for this to happen, it is necessary that the stomach, the digestive glands and the intestines must produce various enzymes, including pepsin, and acid.

What is peristaltic movement and how does it function in the esophagus?

The peristaltic movement is the constriction and relaxation of the muscles inside of the esophagus. The peristaltic movement's function in the esophagus is the waves-like contractions

What cells in the stomach function to form enzymes and acids?

The protein digesting enzyme pepsin is activated by exposure to hydrochloric acid inside the stomach. And in the stomach Chief cells, also found within the gastric pits. It produces two digestive enzymes: pepsinogen and gastric lipase

What role does the stomach play in decontaminating the incoming food matter?

The stomach releases enzymes that kill off the bacteria and and will eventually balance out the pH balance. The stomach also is the chemical breakdown during the digestive tract.

Why doesn't gastric juice digest the inside of the stomach?

The stomach wall is made up mostly of protein, left unprotected the acid would eat right through it. Fortunately for us, the stomach walls have a lining that contains epithelial cells that secrete a protective layer of mucus and bicarbonate.