Q.What is chyme?

Chyme is the semi-digested, acidic, pulpy mass of food produced by the mixing of food with gastric secretions in the stomach.

When a food bolus reaches the stomach, the muscular walls churn it and mix it thoroughly with gastric juice (secreted by gastric glands), which contains hydrochloric acid (HCl), pepsinogen (activated to pepsin), and mucus.

• HCl creates the acidic pH (about 1.5-2.5) needed to activate pepsinogen into pepsin and to kill ingested microbes.
• Pepsin begins the hydrolysis of proteins into smaller peptides.
• Mucus protects the stomach lining from the acid and enzymes. …