Question

What components of a tossed salad will pass through the human digestive tract and be digested the least?

Answer 1

Answer:

Cellulose (in the lettuce)

Explanation:

• A tossed salad usually consists of many vegetables such as lettuce, onions, tomatoes, cucumbers, etc. and then, these vegetables have added dressings which can be of different types.
• When a person eats a tossed salad then the lettuce will be least digested as it is composed mainly of cellulose and the human body is incapable of digesting cellulose.
• The inability to digest cellulose by human beings is because there are beta acetal linkages present in the cellulose and human beings lack the enzymes that can break the linkage.
• However, the undigested cellulose aids in the process of digestion as it acts like fiber and thus, the process of digestion can take place smoothly.
• Thus, the intake of cellulose-rich foods is also essential.