Why cant the stomach digest corn?

Question

Why cant the stomach digest corn?

Answer 1

There are two factors you should consider:

1. Our digestive system can't digest cellulose/plant cells, or commonly-known as fibers. They just help digest food in our body easily, and since we can't absorb it, we take it out.

2. Enzymes in our stomach is called pepsin. This pepsin only can digest proteins to smaller forms, not starch found in corn.

Extra info: Corn first is digested in our mouth with the salivary amylase found in our saliva from bigger disaccharides to smaller ones. Then it's mostly digested in the small intestine.

Answer 2

The protein needs a base to break it down.

The stomach fluid is acid.

Corn is digestible if first treated with lye.

Like 'grits', or tortillas.

Answer 3

Corn is covered in cellulose which can't be broken down by our body. So it leaves the same way it came in.

If you chew the corn you'll break it open and you can digest the inside part of the kernal because it is not made up of cellulose.

Answer 4

nature designed corn as a tracer food so that you'd be able to time your digestive processes.