User:Sydney,schroeder0725/Bolus (digestion)

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In digestion, a bolus (from Latin bolus, "ball") is a ball-like mixture of food and saliva that naturally forms in the mouth during the process of chewing. Bolus forms from the mechanical portion digestion (the breakdown and movement of food throughout the digestive system with involuntary contractions and relaxations from the muscles within the digestive tract.) It has the same color as the food being eaten, and the saliva is made to have a basic pH. Under normal circumstances, the bolus is swallowed, and travels down the esophagus to the stomach for digestion. An esophageal food bolus obstruction is a complication can occur when there is an obstruction of the esophagus by a foreign body that has been ingested.

Formation
The term bolus refers to the mixture of food and saliva that get passed to the stomach through the process of chewing and swallowing. The saliva contains a mixture of mucus, water, and digestive enzymes to aid in the swallowing process. The bolus eventually reaches the stomach where it mixes with gastric acid. The gastric acid breaks down the bolus, reducing its size, and eventually it forms into a food mass called chyme.

Digestion
Mastication and food breakdown come first in the bolus digestion process. After mastication and swallowing the stomach breaks down in the gastrointestinal digestion. Important phases of the digestion process overall include bolus production and breakdown.