Question

Function of hydrochloric acid in the stomach is to
A)Digest carbohydrates
B)Clean the stomach
C) Kill the germs
D)Break down proteins

Answer 1

Hint:The digestive tract inside our body starts from the mouth to the esophagus and from the stomach to the intestine where it gets absorbed and the digestion process gets completed. In this process many enzymes, acids, and digestive molecules are involved.

Complete answer:
To solve this question, we have to know details about the stomach and its function. The stomach has three basic functions; storage of food, breakdown of food into simple compounds, and mixing of food with the enzymes used for digestion. The stomach consists of a mucosa layer that is a specialized cell and glands that form the hydrochloric acid and enzymes involved in the digestion process. The mucosa releases mucus that protects the inner lining of the stomach from the hydrochloric acid formed inside the stomach. Another cell that is produced inside the mucosa is the gastrin hormone that releases the enzyme and the acid from the mucosa and helps in muscle contact of the stomach. The food gets mixed and crushed and forms chyme and the pyloric sphincter relaxes when the chyme formation gets complete. The chyme then moves inside the duodenum that helps in the absorption of food that we eat.
Now, the role of hydrochloric acid is to activate many digestive enzymes and destroy many pathogens that may be found in food. The gastric glands produce gastric juice for the digestion process, the juice is made of hydrochloric acid, pepsinogen, mucus, gastrin, and bicarbonates. The pH of the inner stomach is one to two due to the presence of hydrochloric acid that is acidic enough to kill the pathogen.

Hence, the correct answer is ‘C’. Kill the germs.

Note: The hydrochloric acid involves in the production of digestive enzymes and in break-down of complex substances into simple substances, it does not involve in the break-down of proteins and carbohydrate rather it helps in formation of these compounds.