Question

Mention the processes the food undergoes in the buccal cavity.

Answer 1

The buccal cavity helps in mastication of food and facilitation of swallowing. The teeth and the tongue with the help of saliva masticate and mix the food thoroughly. Mucus in the saliva helps in lubricating and adhering the masticated food particles into a bolus. The bolus is then conveyed into pharynx and then into esophagus by swallowing or deglutition. The bolus is further pass down the esophagus by the successive waves of muscular contractions, peristalsis.The chemical process of digestion is initiated in the oral cavity by the hydrolytic action of carbohydrate-splitting enzyme, the salivary amylase. About 30 % of starch is hydrolysed into a disaccharide - maltose by the salivary amylase.