Question

Humans cannot digest cellulose whereas cows can do so because
A) Their gut contains certain bacteria capable of digesting cellulose
B) They have a many chambered stomach
C) They have efficient grinding molars
D) They produce an enzyme cellulase which can digest cellulose

Answer 1

Hint:The cellulose is an organic compound. It is an important structural component of the cell wall of green plants. Cellulose is the most abundant organic polymer on Earth. Cellulose is used to produce paperboard and paper.

Complete answer:
->Humans lack the enzyme necessary to digest cellulose.
->Grasses are abundant in cellulose.
->Grasses are digested by cows, horses etc. Grasses are not digested by humans.
->Some animals such as ruminants and termites can digest cellulose with the help of symbiotic microorganisms that live in their guts.
->Ruminants have a large sac like structure between the small intestine and large intestine. The cellulose of the food is digested here by action of some bacteria which are absent in humans.
->Animals such as cows have anaerobic bacteria in their digestive tract which digest cellulose.
->Ruminants are animals which chew cud. Examples- goats, sheep, cattle. Ruminants can digest cellulose with the help of bacteria.
->The microorganisms like bacteria produce cellulase enzyme which helps in the cellulose digestion.

So the correct answer is A (Their gut contains certain bacteria capable of digesting cellulose)

Note: Cellulose is a chain of beta glucose monomers. In human nutrition, cellulose acts as a hydrophilic bulking agent for feces and helps in defecation. Cellulose is very hard to digest. The cow relies on bacteria and other organisms that live inside cows to break down the cellulose. Cellulose is a polysaccharide. It has a structural role in both plants and animals.