The esophagus is the first segment of the digestive tract whose function is to transport chewed food. This muscular tube runs from the larynx to the stomach, where food is digested.
With the contractions of the muscles of the stomach, mechanical digestion begins, followed by chemical digestion due to gastric juice secreted by the glands located in the stomach wall. This juice is acidic, composed of hydrochloric acid and enzymes called pepsins which start the digestion of proteins. The digested food is gradually pushed into the duodenum . Here, partially digested food is mixed with bile and pancreatic enzymes to complete the intestinal digestion process.