<P> Within the oral mucosa ( a mucous membrane ) lining the mouth and also on the tongue and palates and mouth floor , are the minor salivary glands ; their secretions are mainly mucous and are innervated by the facial nerve ( the seventh cranial nerve ) . The glands also secrete amylase a first stage in the breakdown of food acting on the carbohydrate in the food to transform the starch content into maltose . There are other glands on the surface of the tongue that encircle taste buds on the back part of the tongue and these also produce lingual lipase . Lipase is a digestive enzyme that catalyses the hydrolysis of lipids ( fats ) . These glands are termed Von Ebner 's glands which have also been shown to have another function in the secretion of histatins which offer an early defense ( outside of the immune system ) against microbes in food , when it makes contact with these glands on the tongue tissue . Sensory information can stimulate the secretion of saliva providing the necessary fluid for the tongue to work with and also to ease swallowing of the food . </P>
in what part of the digestive tube do you expect the initial digestion of starch
the mouth