Digestive System A&P Practice Test

The chewed-up piece of food ready to swallow is called a bolus. It forms in the mouth as teeth grind the food and saliva moistens it, creating a cohesive mass that can be easily swallowed and propelled into the esophagus. This term distinguishes it from chyme, which is the semi-liquid mass that forms after the bolus mixes with gastric juice in the stomach; feces, which are solid waste formed in the intestines; and mucus, a lubricating secretion lining the digestive tract. So the bolus describes the food mass at the moment just before swallowing.