Food absorption in the mouth?!
Question: okay, this is an annoying bio question. on a quiz, there was a question that asked if food absorption occurs in the mouth or the "oral cavity"...i was going to put no, but then i thought about gum, and then it got all confusing and i ended up putting it down as a yes...i was wondering if i could argue my point with my bio teacher...answers, anyone??!!!
Answers: okay, this is an annoying bio question. on a quiz, there was a question that asked if food absorption occurs in the mouth or the "oral cavity"...i was going to put no, but then i thought about gum, and then it got all confusing and i ended up putting it down as a yes...i was wondering if i could argue my point with my bio teacher...answers, anyone??!!!
Sorry, but it doesn't take place in the mouth. It's only one question, don't beat yourself up about it. :)
The first step of the digestive process starts with the mouth or oral cavity. Food enters the mouth where both mechanical breakdown and chemical digestion occur. Food is bitten by the teeth, and ground into pieces small enough to swallow. The tongue moves and shapes the food into a bolus within the mouth.
The first step of ingestion that occurs in the mouth is called "mechanical digestion" which increases the surface area of the food to help the enzymes work better. This includes biting, chewing and grinding. This is done by the teeth and the tongue helps push the bolus to the back of the mouth and the saliva glands make the food wet and they also produce an acid that helps digest the food. The tongue contains taste buds that allows you to taste the various types of food you eat. The taste buds have four sections which provide for the sensation of four tastes. They are sour, sweet, bitter, salty.