Skip to main content
Ch. 23 The Digestive System
Marieb - Human Anatomy & Physiology 7th Edition
Marieb, Hoehn7th EditionHuman Anatomy & PhysiologyISBN: 9780805359091Not the one you use?Change textbook
Chapter 22, Problem 6

The digestive juice product containing enzymes capable of digesting all four major foodstuff categories is:
a. Pancreatic
b. Gastric
c. Salivary
d. Biliary

Verified step by step guidance
1
Step 1: Identify the four major foodstuff categories that need to be digested: carbohydrates, proteins, lipids (fats), and nucleic acids.
Step 2: Understand the role of each digestive juice listed: pancreatic juice, gastric juice, salivary juice, and biliary (bile) juice, focusing on which enzymes they contain and what substrates they act upon.
Step 3: Recall that pancreatic juice contains a variety of enzymes including amylase (for carbohydrates), proteases like trypsin and chymotrypsin (for proteins), lipase (for lipids), and nucleases (for nucleic acids), making it capable of digesting all four major foodstuff categories.
Step 4: Compare this with gastric juice, which mainly contains pepsin for protein digestion; salivary juice, which contains amylase for carbohydrate digestion; and biliary juice (bile), which emulsifies fats but does not contain enzymes to digest all categories.
Step 5: Conclude that the digestive juice capable of digesting all four major foodstuff categories is pancreatic juice.

Verified video answer for a similar problem:

This video solution was recommended by our tutors as helpful for the problem above.
Video duration:
1m
Was this helpful?

Key Concepts

Here are the essential concepts you must grasp in order to answer the question correctly.

Major Foodstuff Categories

The four major foodstuff categories are carbohydrates, proteins, lipids (fats), and nucleic acids. Understanding these categories is essential because different enzymes target specific macromolecules during digestion.
Recommended video:
2:31
Major Histocompatibility Complexes

Digestive Enzymes and Their Sources

Digestive enzymes are biological catalysts that break down food molecules. Different digestive juices, such as pancreatic, gastric, salivary, and biliary secretions, contain specific enzymes that act on particular food types.
Recommended video:
02:55
Enzymes

Role of Pancreatic Juice in Digestion

Pancreatic juice contains a variety of enzymes including amylase, proteases, lipase, and nucleases, enabling it to digest carbohydrates, proteins, fats, and nucleic acids. This makes it unique among digestive secretions for comprehensive digestion.
Recommended video: