Chyme
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2008-05-20T17:47:30Z
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'''Chyme''' is the semifluid mass of partly digested food expelled by the stomach into the duodenum. <ref>http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/chyme</ref>
Also known as '''Chymus''', is the liquid substance found in the [[stomach]] before passing through the [[pyloric valve]] and entering the [[duodenum]]. It results from the mechanical and chemical breakdown of a bolus and consists of partially digested food, water, [[hydrochloric acid]], and various [[digestion|digestive]] [[enzyme]]s. Chyme slowly passes through the pyloric [[sphincter]] and into the duodenum, where the extraction of nutrients begins. Depending on the quantity and contents of the meal, the stomach will digest the food into chyme anywhere between 40 minutes and a few hours.
With a [[pH]] of around 2, chyme emerging from the stomach is very acidic. To raise its pH, the [[duodenum]] secretes a [[hormone]], [[cholecystokinin]] (CCK), which causes the [[gall bladder]] to contract, releasing alkaline [[bile]] into the duodenum. The duodenum also produces the hormone [[secretin]] to stimulate the pancreatic secretion of large amounts of [[sodium bicarbonate]], which raises the chyme's pH to 7 before it reaches the [[ileum]]. As it is protected by a thick layer of [[mucus]] and utilizes the neutralizing actions of the sodium bicarbonate and bile, the duodenum is not as sensitive to highly acidic chyme as the rest of the small intestine.
At a pH of 7, the enzymes that were present from the stomach are no longer active. This then leads into the further breakdown of the nutrients still present by anaerobic bacteria which at the same time help to package the remains. These bacteria also help synthesize Vitamin-B and Vitamin-K.
== References ==
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{{med-stub}}
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[[category:digestive system]]
[[category:body fluids]]
[[bn:পাকমণ্ড]]
[[cs:Trávenina]]
[[de:Chymus]]
[[es:Quimo]]
[[fr:Chyme]]
[[it:Chimo]]
[[pt:Quimo]]
[[sv:Chymus]]