Chyme

Definition

Chyme is a semi-fluid mass of partly digested food that is expelled by the stomach into the duodenum at the beginning of the small intestine. It results from the mechanical and chemical breakdown of foods mixed with gastric juices.

Related terms

Gastric juice: A mixture of hydrochloric acid, enzymes, and other substances produced by glands in the stomach lining that helps break down food into chyme.

Duodenum: The first section of the small intestine where chyme from the stomach mixes with bile and pancreatic juice to continue digestion.

Peristalsis: The series of wave-like muscle contractions that moves food through the digestive tract, including moving chyme from the stomach to the small intestine