The Upper Digestive Tract

What happens to food in the mouth?

Teeth mechanically break food into smaller particles. Enzymes in saliva begin the chemical digestion of carbohydrates and fats.

What are the functions of the stomach?

The stomach receives food from the esophagus and stretches to store it.Stomach contractions break up food and mix it with gastric fluid. They also move the resulting mixture (the chyme) into the small intestine.Chemical digestion of proteins begins in the stomach.

The oral cavity (Digestion in Mouth):  Mouth, the teeth. the tongue, Salivary Glands.

 The teeth: break food into smaller pieces to expose more of the food’s surface area to digestive enzymes.

 The tongue: a muscle used to manipulate food and form it into a bolus, a round, easy-to swallow ball.

Salivary glands: secrete mucous saliva.