question_answer 97)

  Explain the role of mouth in digestion of food.

Answer:

                  In human beings, food is ingested through the mouth, where the digestion of food begins. The mouth plays following roles in digestion of food (a) The teeth cut the food into small pieces, chew and grind it, i.e., help in physical digestion. (b) The salivary glands in mouth secretes saliva which contain an enzyme called salivary amylase. This enzyme digest the starch present in food into sugar, i.e., help in chemical digestion. (c) Tongue helps in thorough mixing of food with saliva.