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Digestion: Mouth
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Digestion is a complex process which is controlled by several factors. pH plays a crucial role in a normally functioning digestive tract. In the mouth, pharynx, and esophagus, pH is typically about 6.8, very weakly acidic. Saliva controls pH in this region of the digestive tract. Salivary amylase is contained in saliva and starts the breakdown of carbohydrates into monosaccharides. Most digestive enzymes are sensitive to pH and will not function in a low-pH environment like the stomach.
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Digestion begins in the mouth by salivary amylase and completed in the small intestine by pancreatic amylase. Monosaccharides, such as glucose, galactose and fructose, are produced by the breakdown of polysaccharides and are transported to the intestinal epithelium by facilitated diffusion or active transport. Facilitated diffusion moves the sugars to the bloodstream.
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Digestion is largely taken for granted by just about everybody. You may assume that what you put into your mouth is going to be digested. But, digestion doesn't just happen: it is a complicated process that is extremely important and should not be overlooked as a root cause for many health problems. When digestion does not occur the way it should, symptoms such as gas, bloating, and pain may result.
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The process of digestion begins in the mouth. Within the mouth lie the teeth, tongue and jaws. Through a chewing motion, the food is mechanically broken down between the teeth and mixed with saliva, which aids in chemical digestion. Upon stimulation, saliva is produced in the salivary glands and brought into the mouth. It contains salivary amylase, an enzyme that digests starch. Once the digestion in the mouth is completed, the first phase of swallowing is initiated.
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The first stage of digestion is ingestion, in which food is taken into the mouth and then broken down into smaller pieces by the chewing action of the teeth. To facilitate movement of the food through the mouth and along the tongue, it is necessary for saliva to be present. Usually, the sensations of sight, taste, and smell associated with food set in motion a series of neural responses that induce the formation of saliva by the salivary glands in the mouth. Amylase, an enzyme in the saliva, begins the process of breaking complex carbohydrates into simple sugars.
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Carbohydrates, the digestion of which begins in the mouth through salivary juices. They attack the 4-glucosidic linkage" href="/index.pl?node=%26alpha%3B-1-%3E4-glucosidic%20linkage" class='populated' >α-1->4-glucosidic linkages that bind together long polysaccharide chains, breaking the carbohydrate down into its various parts. If you take an unsalted saltine cracker and chew it for long enough, you'll notice it suddenly becomes very sweet. This is digestion in the works, as simple carbohydrates (monosaccharides) broken down from the cracker taste sweeter than the complex carbohydrates of which it was originally made.
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