Scott Johnson The process all begins when one begins to bite into a cheeseburger. The lips and cheeks are very important in this process of mastication, or chewing. They help manipulate the hamburger and its add-ons within the mouth and hold it in place while the teeth crush or tear it. The incisors and canines primarily cut and tear the hamburger, while the premolars and molars primarily crush and grind it. Mastication begins the process of mechanical digestion, in which the hamburger particles are broken down into smaller ones.
The tongue moves the hamburger in the mouth and, in cooperation with the lips and cheeks, holds the hamburger in place during mastication. During this process, …show more content…
Hydrochloric acid produces a pH of about 2.0 in the stomach and kills bacteria, and also activates pepsin. Pepsinogen is converted by hydrochloric acid to the active enzyme pepsin. Pepsin then breaks covalent bonds of proteins (cheese and beef of the cheeseburger) to form smaller peptide chains. Pepsin's lowpH of about 2.0 kills microorganisms. The intrinsic factor binds with vitamin B12 and makes it more readily absorbed in the small intestine. Gastrin is a hormone the body produces that helps to regulate the stomach secretions as the hamburger is broken …show more content…
The small intestine is the major site of digestion and absorption of food, which are accomplished by the presence of a large surface area. Absorbed nutrients that are broken down from the hamburger begin to be transported by the blood capillary network and the lacteal (absorbs dietary fats in the villi ). The mucosa of the small intestine contains four major cells types including absorptive cells, which produce digestive enzymes and absorb digested fats, the goblet cells, which produce protective mucus, granular cells, which may help protect the intestinal epithelium from bacteria; and endocrine cells, which produce regulatory hormones. The small intestine contains enzymes that digest polypeptide, starch, lipids, sucrose, lactose, and maltose. These cells play a key role in absorption and digestion of the