the nature of chyme

[Binks]

Hi All, glad to have found this forum, as I am studying a course on Human Biology.
I have a question concerning chyme. I know it is a semi liquid substance of partially digested food that
is discharged from the stomach through the pyloric sphincter into the duodenum. Some of water is absorbed
as it moves through the small intestine. But can anyone tell me what the color and consistency of chyme would be by the time it reaches the beginning of the jejunem? Also would it by that stage have a faceces like odor, or not ? (Sorry if anyone finds the question gross).

[kolean]

I would guess that the color of chyme would be dependent on what the stomach contents was composed of (what the person ate for that meal). Dark green leafy vegetables give a dark color, carrots an orange color, tomato sauce a reddish tone, etc.
Consistency would still be based on what the meal/food was composed of. Fibrous food like whole grains and fiber rich vegetables, would be hard to break down into a homogenous mixture. As oppose to refined white baked goods, boiled vegetables, and other thoroughly cooked foods, that could provide an easy homogenous mixture. It would also be based on how well the food was chewed before being swallowed. This homogenous mixture could also be based on the person’s digestive enzymes, and how strongly or weakly they digest the food, and how strong or weak the agitation of the chyme went thru in the stomach and small intestines.
Also by the jejunem, the fats are just beginning to be digested and bile acids are being added. Fats would give a gloss to the mass I think.
Odor is usually from the by-products from the bacteria/yeast/internal flora that line the GI tract. Again this would be based on the food that is available for the internal flora to digest, and what the by-products are (methane as oppose to CO2) from the prevailing type of internal flora available at that moment (bacteria vs. yeast).

[Krebs]

Chyme sort of looks like vomit.

[kolean]

Depends on the time allowed for the food to be processed in the stomache. I have observed some vomit that looked just like the meal that last went in (just in bite-size bits), and then I have some observed some foul smelling vomit that was pretty much digested and could almost be called chyme (no bits of recognizable food stuff).

[Author]

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