Question

19. Hydrochloric acid creates an acidic medium which facilitate the action of protein digestive enzyme in the stomach. Name the enzyme and give any three other functions served by the acid.

Answer 1

Pepsinogen:

1. ​Pepsinogen is the enzyme secreted in the stomach which gets activated in the presence of acidic medium.
   
2. Pepsinogen is activated to form pepsin.
   
3. Pepsin acts on the dietary proteins that reaches the stomach.
   

Functions of HCl in stomach:

1. It kills the bacteria present in food that reaches the stomach.
   
2. It maintains acidic pH in stomach.
   
3. It is needed to absorb some minerals like magnesium, sodium and iron.