What term describes the semi-liquid mass resulting from gastric digestion?

What term describes the semi-liquid mass resulting from gastric digestion?

• A. Bolus
• B. Mucus
• C. Chyme
• D. Pulp

Answer: (C)

Chyme is the semi-liquid mass produced in the stomach when swallowed food is mixed with gastric juice (acidic chyme) and enzymes. The stomach’s muscular churning plus the action of hydrochloric acid and pepsin break food down into a smooth, paste-like substance that can move into the small intestine through the pyloric sphincter for further digestion and absorption. This distinguishes chyme from a bolus, which is simply the solid ball of chewed food formed in the mouth and swallowed; mucus, while important as a protective lubricating secretion in the GI tract, is not the semi-liquid mass itself; and pulp isn’t used to describe gastric contents.

Chyme is the semi-liquid mass produced in the stomach when swallowed food is mixed with gastric juice (acidic chyme) and enzymes. The stomach’s muscular churning plus the action of hydrochloric acid and pepsin break food down into a smooth, paste-like substance that can move into the small intestine through the pyloric sphincter for further digestion and absorption. This distinguishes chyme from a bolus, which is simply the solid ball of chewed food formed in the mouth and swallowed; mucus, while important as a protective lubricating secretion in the GI tract, is not the semi-liquid mass itself; and pulp isn’t used to describe gastric contents.