Gastric acid
The main constituent of gastric acid is hydrochloric acid which is produced by parietal cells (also called oxyntic cells) in the gastric glands in the stomach. Its secretion is a complex and relatively energetically expensive process. Parietal cells contain an extensive secretory network (called canaliculi) from which the hydrochloric acid is secreted into the lumen of the stomach. The pH of gastric acid is 1.5 to 3.5 in the human stomach lumen, the acidity being maintained by the proton pump H/K ATPase. The parietal cell releases bicarbonate into the bloodstream in the process, which causes a temporary rise of pH in the blood, known as an alkaline tide.
Fecal pH test
A fecal pH test is one where a specimen of feces is tested for acidity in order to diagnose a medical condition. Human feces is normally acidic. An acidic stool can indicate a digestive problem such as lactose intolerance or a contagion such as "E. coli" or rotavirus, or overgrowth of the acid producing bacteria (such as lactic acid bacteria for instance).
The average pH for a healthy person is a pH of 6.6.