Question

Salivary amylase is an enzyme in the human body that digests carbohydrates from food. When food mixed with saliva enters the stomach, the action of salivary amylase slows dramatically. Which causes salivary amylase enzyme to stop digesting food?

Responses

The pH of the stomach is lower than in the mouth.

The pH of the stomach is lower than in the mouth.

The concentration of food decreases in the stomach.

The concentration of food decreases in the stomach.

The temperature of the food increases in the stomach.

The temperature of the food increases in the stomach.

The food is mixed more in the mouth than in the stomach.

Answers

GPT-4o mini
The correct response is:

**The pH of the stomach is lower than in the mouth.**

Salivary amylase works optimally at a neutral pH, which is found in the mouth. However, when food enters the stomach, it is exposed to a highly acidic environment, which denatures the salivary amylase enzyme, dramatically reducing its ability to digest carbohydrates.