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Chewing or mastication is the process by which food is crushed and ground by the teeth. It is the first step in the process of digestion , allowing a greater surface area for digestive enzymes to break down the foods.
In the human digestive system, food enters the mouth and mechanical digestion of the food starts by the action of mastication (chewing), a form of mechanical digestion, and the wetting contact of saliva. Saliva, a liquid secreted by the salivary glands, contains salivary amylase, an enzyme which starts the digestion of starch in the food. [1]
It manipulates food for chewing and swallowing as part of the digestive process, and is the primary organ of taste. The tongue's upper surface (dorsum) is covered by taste buds housed in numerous lingual papillae. It is sensitive and kept moist by saliva and is richly supplied with nerves and blood vessels.
Chewing, in which the food is mixed with saliva, begins the mechanical process of digestion. This produces a bolus which is swallowed down the esophagus to enter the stomach . The second stage, the gastric phase, happens in the stomach.
This glossary of biology terms is a list of definitions of fundamental terms and concepts used in biology, the study of life and of living organisms.It is intended as introductory material for novices; for more specific and technical definitions from sub-disciplines and related fields, see Glossary of cell biology, Glossary of genetics, Glossary of evolutionary biology, Glossary of ecology ...
In jawed vertebrates, the mandible (from the Latin mandibula, 'for chewing'), lower jaw, or jawbone is a bone that makes up the lower – and typically more mobile – component of the mouth (the upper jaw being known as the maxilla). The jawbone is the skull's only movable, posable bone, sharing joints with the cranium's temporal bones.
A 2018 study found a connection between increased learning performance and chewing gum, while a 2015 study linked chewing gum with higher productivity and alertness.
The mouth is the body orifice through which many animals ingest food and vocalize.The body cavity immediately behind the mouth opening, known as the oral cavity (or cavum oris in Latin), [2] is also the first part of the alimentary canal, which leads to the pharynx and the gullet.