The hindgut (structure of the digestive tract after the small intestine) in all

Question

The hindgut (structure of the digestive tract after the small intestine) in all three organism contains a diverse population of fermenting mircrobes. These microbes release gases, as well as fatty acids and lactic acid, as waste products of fermentation. Of the three organism, the most hindgut fermentation occurs in horses. If a horse feeds on too much starchy grain, a lot of undigested carbohydrates will pass from the foregut into the hindgut. The same digestion problem happens when a horse feeds on spring grasses in the pasture. Grass plants produce many carbohydrates-rich leaves during the spring, but in the summer they produce more stem than leaf. Microbes that ferment the excess starch produce an increased level of lactic acid, which lowers the pH of the hindgut. Digestion in the hindgut stops and the horse often has to be treated for impaction. Why do you suppose excess starch halts digestion?

Explanation / Answer

Starch halts digestion because the first enzyme that digests starch, salivary amylase, cannot function in the acidic environment(low pH gastric juice) of the stomach. This is because enzymes are very pH-sensitive. So, the enzyme is destroyed by the acids present in our stomach which in turn halts digestion.

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