About 2 liters of gastric juice are secreted daily by the stomach and consists of water, minerals, mucus, hydrochloric acid, intrinsic factor, and inactive enzyme precursors. The gastric juice helps further liquefy food, acidifies the food to stop salivary amylase, kills microbes, and provides an environment for pepsins to break down proteins. Secretion reaches its maximum about an hour after eating and declines to fasting levels around 4 hours later, occurring in cephalic, gastric, and intestinal phases. The functions of the stomach include temporary storage, chemical and mechanical digestion, limited absorption, defense against microbes, and regulating passage to the small intestine.

1. Gastric juice
About 2 litres of gastric juice are secreted daily by specialised
secretary glands in the mucosa it consist of :-
•Water
•Mineral salts
•Mucus secreted by mucous neck cells in the glands and surface
mucous cells on the stomach surface.
•Hydrochloric acid and intrinsic factor secreted by parietal cells in the
gastric gland.
•Inactive enzyme precursors : pepsinogens secreted by chief cells in
the glands.

2. Function of gastric juice
• Water further liquefies the food swallowed.
• Hydrochloric acid:-
Acidifies the food and stop the action of salivary
amylase.
Kills ingested microbes.
Provides the acid environment needed for the
action of pepsins.
• Pepsinogens.
• Intrinsic factor.
• Mucus.

3. Secretion of gastric juice
• There is always a small quantity of gastric juice
present in the stomach ,even when it contains no
food. This is known as fasting juice. Secretion reaches
its maximum level about 1 hour after a meal then
declines to the fasting level after about 4 hours
• There are three phases of secretion of gastic juice
 Cephalic phase.
 Gastric phase.
 Intestinal phase.

4. Functions of the stomach
• These includes:
 Temporary storage allowing time for the digestive
enzymes,pepsins,to act.
 Chemical digestion-pepsins break proteins into polypeptides.
 Mechanical breakdown.
 Limited absorption.
 Non specific defence against microbes.
 Preparation of iron for absorption.
 Production and secretion of intrinsic factors needed for absorption
of vit.B12
 Regulation of the passage of gastric contents into the duodenum.