Which process uses enzymes and other chemicals to break foods into smaller building blocks?

Which process uses enzymes and other chemicals to break foods into smaller building blocks?

• A. Chemical digestion
• B. Mechanical processing
• C. Absorption
• D. Elimination

Answer: (A)

Chemical digestion is the process that uses enzymes and other digestive chemicals to break down complex food molecules into smaller building blocks that the body can use. Enzymes such as amylases, proteases, and lipases catalyze the breakdown of carbohydrates, proteins, and fats into sugars, amino acids, and fatty acids with monoglycerides. This activity happens in stages along the digestive tract: in the mouth with salivary amylase, in the stomach with gastric enzymes, and in the small intestine with pancreatic and brush-border enzymes. Mechanical processing, by contrast, involves physical breakdown like chewing and mixing; absorption is the uptake of these small molecules across the gut lining into the blood or lymph; elimination is the removal of indigestible material.

Chemical digestion is the process that uses enzymes and other digestive chemicals to break down complex food molecules into smaller building blocks that the body can use. Enzymes such as amylases, proteases, and lipases catalyze the breakdown of carbohydrates, proteins, and fats into sugars, amino acids, and fatty acids with monoglycerides. This activity happens in stages along the digestive tract: in the mouth with salivary amylase, in the stomach with gastric enzymes, and in the small intestine with pancreatic and brush-border enzymes. Mechanical processing, by contrast, involves physical breakdown like chewing and mixing; absorption is the uptake of these small molecules across the gut lining into the blood or lymph; elimination is the removal of indigestible material.