Certified Dietary Manager (CDM) Practice Exam

What process involves the breakdown of food by digestive juices or enzymes?

1. Food decomposition

2. Chemical breakdown

3. Metabolism

4. Absorption

The correct answer is: Chemical breakdown

The process that involves the breakdown of food by digestive juices or enzymes is known as chemical breakdown. This process is crucial for digestion as it involves the use of various enzymes that catalyze reactions to convert complex food molecules into simpler ones, such as breaking down proteins into amino acids, carbohydrates into simple sugars, and fats into fatty acids and glycerol. This chemical breakdown is essential for the body to utilize nutrients effectively; it prepares food components for absorption in the intestines. The digestive enzymes are secreted at different stages of the digestive tract and play a vital role in this transformation, ensuring that the nutrients are accessible for absorption into the bloodstream. Other processes listed, such as food decomposition, metabolism, and absorption, play different roles in the overall digestion and nutrient assimilation pathway, but they do not specifically address the breakdown of food via enzymes, which is the essence of chemical breakdown.