Mouth and Stomach

Mouth and Stomach. As food is chewed, it is mixed with saliva which contains the carbohydrate-digesting enzyme ptyalin. The chewed mixture goes down the esophagus into the stomach. With the help of saliva, food is broken down into smaller particles, which increases the surface area for the digestive enzymes to act upon. A lot of a food’s energy and nutrients –as well as its flavors-cannot be released until its cells walls are broken down by chewing