Question

The main function of HCL present in gastric juice is
A) Digestion of starch
B) Emulsification of fat
C) Conversion of pepsinogen to pepsin
D) Detoxification of harmful constituents of food

Answer 1

Hint: Gastric gland is present in the wall of the stomach which releases gastric juice. This juice consists of HCL, inactive pepsinogen, mucus, and water.

Complete answer:
The HCL present in the gastric juice dissolves bits of food and creates an acidic medium in our stomach. The enzyme pepsinogen is converted to pepsin in this acidic medium. Pepsinogen is a protein-digesting enzyme. It also kills bacteria and other microorganisms that enter along with the food in our stomach.

Additional information:
The digestion of starch begins in the mouth by the action of salivary amylase on the food.further in the small intestine pancreatic amylase is released which is responsible for the complete digestion of starch.
Emulsification is the breaking of large fat molecules into smaller droplets or globules. It helps in increasing the surface area for efficient action of enzymes to digest fats.

So, the correct answer is the” conversion of pepsinogen to pepsin.”

Note:
1) Even after removing the stomach a person can survive by altering the diet and having frequent and smaller meals.
2) According to the Digestive Disease Center, the stomach is mainly responsible for absorbing necessary nutrients like vitamin B12, from the food we have eaten.
3) A few animals, including cows, giraffes, deer, cattle, and other ruminants have four-chambered stomachs, which help them in digesting plant-based food, which is the hardest diet compared to other diets.