Mouth

• What is the function of the mouth in digestion?

  -ingestion

  -mastication (food is chewed by teeth)

  -tongue mixes food with saliva from salivary glands
• What is the function of mastication?

  -increases surface area for action of amylase

  -breaks food up to make it easier to swallow

  This is physical/mechanical digestion
• What is saliva made up of and what are the functions of each individual components?


  -mucus (lubricates to aid swallowing and peristalsis)

  -salivary amylase (breaks down starch into maltose)

  -hydrogen carbonate ions HCO3- (provides optimum pH for amylase: neutral/sightly alkaline)

  -lysozyme (defence against pathogens)