Question

What is the process of taking food in through the mouth called?

Answer 1

Ingestion:

1. The act of taking food in through the mouth is called ingestion.
2. The food in whole is unable to penetrate through cell membranes. Humans can only absorb nutrients and organic compounds if food is broken down into smaller pieces.
3. Ingestion is the first phase in this process.
4. The saliva, teeth, and tongue all perform the main roles in mastication in humans.
5. The enzymes in saliva chemically process the meal as it is being mechanically broken down.
6. Food is transformed from huge particles to a soft mass that may be ingested and travel the length of the oesophagus by the combined action of several processes.