Name: Matt U.
Status: Student
Age: 13
Location: N/A
Country: N/A
Date: N/A
Question:
What disinegrates food faster stomach acid or regular
coke? (This is basically my science project!)
Replies:
I do not think there is a hard and fast rule. Stomach acid, HCL, in vivo,
has a pH of 2 to about 4.5 depending upon many biochemical factors, but also
present in the stomach are various enzymes that are assisting in digesting
the food concurrently.
Similarly, when "coke" is swallowed its pH in vivo may be quite different
from what you pour out of the bottle. And it too is in the presence of
various digestive enzymes.
So comparing HCl and "coke" in vitro may have little correlation with their
activity in the stomach.
Vince Calder
Stomach acid (HCl)and associated enzymes are primarily for the digestion of proteins.
Coke acid (H2CO3) is chmeically different and adds little to digestion for the
enzymes of the stomach associate with HCl.
Steve Sample
There is more to "stomach acid" than acid. It also contains digestive
enzymes. The food has already started digesting in the mouth also through
the action of amylase in your saliva. But if you're strictly looking at the
effects of pH, I believe that stomach acid is more acidic than Coke.
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