What is the purpose of the mastication of food?

Mastication (chewing) in the mouth increases the food's surface area and promotes easier digestion by allowing enzymes more access to all of the food molecules. Mastication is a form of mechanical digestion. Mastication has nothing to do with protein absorption, and it aids in digestion (it does not prevent it). Bicarbonate from pancreatic juices helps to buffer acidic chyme entering the small intestine from the stomach; mastication has no effect on this.