Which organ sterilizes ingested food?
A. Salivary glands C. Pancreas
B. Stomach D. Liver
(B)
With my definition of "sterilize", none of the answers is correct. It greatly baffles me what is meant here by that word. Do you mean bacteria are killed?
I'm not sure
The organ that sterilizes ingested food is the stomach, which is option B.
To arrive at this answer, let's consider the function of each organ mentioned:
A. Salivary glands: The salivary glands produce saliva, which aids in the initial breakdown of food and contains some enzymes to begin the digestion process. However, they do not sterilize ingested food.
C. Pancreas: The pancreas produces digestive enzymes that are released into the small intestine and help break down nutrients. It also produces insulin and helps regulate blood sugar levels. Sterilizing food is not a specific function of the pancreas.
D. Liver: The liver has multiple functions, including metabolizing nutrients, detoxifying harmful substances, producing bile for digestion, and storing certain vitamins and minerals. While the liver plays a crucial role in processing and filtering blood, it does not sterilize ingested food.
B. Stomach: The stomach is responsible for several important functions in the digestive system. It receives food from the esophagus and secretes stomach acid and enzymes to break down the food into a substance called chyme. The high acidity of the stomach acid helps kill many harmful bacteria and microorganisms present in the ingested food, contributing to the sterilization process.
Therefore, the correct answer is (B) Stomach.