What are Gastric Juices?
Gastric juices are liquids found in the stomach. In their normal state, these liquids are usually primarily clear in color. The juices in the stomach begin the process of breaking down food so that nutrients can be extracted by the intestines, and they are produced by glands in the stomach as needed. The precise composition and pH balance of gastric juices varies, depending on the animal involved, but they are famously very acidic. The major components of gastric juices are mucus, pepsin, and hydrochloric acid. Young mammals also produce rennin, an enzyme which breaks down milk so that it can be digested. In humans, the pH balance hovers between one and three, making this stomach secretion very acidic. The acidity is important, because it breaks down foods to make them accessible to the digestive tract. The high acidity of the stomach also kills many bacteria and microorganisms which cannot survive in that environment, protecting the body from infection with many common pathogens. Prod
