What is mechanical digestion?

What is mechanical digestion?

• A. Taking food through the mouth and reducing its size through chewing.
• B. The breakdown of carbohydrates through saliva which contains the enzyme amylase.
• C. Absorbs nutrients in the small intestine.
• D. Secretes bile to emulsify fats.

Answer: (A)

Mechanical digestion is the physical breaking down of food into smaller pieces, without changing its chemical composition. In the mouth, chewing physically crushes and grinds food, reducing particle size and helping it form a manageable bolus for swallowing. This process increases the surface area available for enzymes to act later during chemical digestion. The other statements describe chemical digestion or processes that aren’t about physically breaking food apart: saliva’s amylase breaks carbohydrates chemically, absorption occurs in the small intestine, and bile emulsifies fats to aid chemical digestion rather than physically breaking them down.

Mechanical digestion is the physical breaking down of food into smaller pieces, without changing its chemical composition. In the mouth, chewing physically crushes and grinds food, reducing particle size and helping it form a manageable bolus for swallowing. This process increases the surface area available for enzymes to act later during chemical digestion. The other statements describe chemical digestion or processes that aren’t about physically breaking food apart: saliva’s amylase breaks carbohydrates chemically, absorption occurs in the small intestine, and bile emulsifies fats to aid chemical digestion rather than physically breaking them down.