– If our stomach acids are so acidic and able to essentially puree food to be digested, then why does stuff like corn and seeds not breakdown?

Question

I’ve always wondered this. I know it’s something to do with cellulose in the corn but wouldn’t the hydrochloric acids in the stomach be so acidic that it breaks down everything?

In: Biology

Answer 1

Cellulose needs bacterial fermentation to be digested. Acid doesn’t do much for long chains of carbohydrates because it can’t really react with anything. Animals that digest cellulose (ruminants especially) first break it down mechanically (by chewing and re-chewing) and then using either bacterial fermentation in one of series of stomachs or the gut to break it down. In general, digestion happens throughout your digestive tract – starches need neutral pH found in mouth to start breaking down, and long strings of molecules like complex carbs, proteins and fats don’t break down fully until they are inside your bowels assisted by a variety of chemicals and gut flora. Many nutrients cannot be digested at all without gut flora.