Digestion is the mechanical and chemical breakdown of food into smaller components that are more easily absorbed

into a blood stream, for instance. Digestion is a form of catabolism: a breakdown of large food molecules to smaller ones. When food enters the mouth, its digestion starts by the action of mastication, a form of mechanical digestion, and the contact of saliva. Saliva, which is secreted by the salivary glands, contains salivary amylase, an enzyme which starts the digestion of starch in the food. After undergoing mastication and starch digestion, the food will be in the form of a small, round slurry mass called a bolus. It will then travel down theesophagus and into the stomach by the action of peristalsis. Gastric juice in the stomach starts protein digestion. Gastric juice mainly contains hydrochloric acid and pepsin. As these two chemicals may damage the stomach wall, mucus is secreted by the stomach, providing a slimy layer that acts as a shield against the damaging effects of the chemicals. At the same time protein digestion is occurring, mechanical mixing occurs by peristalsis, which are waves of muscular contractions that move along the stomach wall. This allows the mass of food to further mix with the digestive enzymes. After some time (typically an hour or two in humans, 46 hours in dogs, somewhat shorter duration in house cats), the resulting thick liquid is called chyme. When the pyloric sphincter valve opens, chyme enters the duodenum where it mixes with digestive enzymes from the pancreas, and then passes through the small intestine, in which digestion continues. When the chyme is fully digested, it is absorbed into the blood. 95% of absorption of nutrients occurs in the small intestine. Water and minerals are reabsorbed back into the blood in the colon (large intestine) where the pH is slightly acidic about 5.6 ~ 6.9. Some vitamins, such as biotin and vitamin K(K2MK7) produced by bacteria in the colon are also absorbed into the blood in the colon. [1] Waste material is eliminated from the rectum during defecation.[2]
Contents
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1 Digestive systems o 1.1 Secretion systems 1.1.1 Channel transport system 1.1.2 Molecular syringe 1.1.3 Conjugation machinery 1.1.4 Release of outer membrane vesicles o 1.2 Gastrovascular cavity o 1.3 Phagosome o 1.4 Specialised organs and behaviours 1.4.1 Beaks 1.4.2 Tongue 1.4.3 Teeth 1.4.4 Crop 1.4.5 Abomasum 1.4.6 Specialised behaviours o 1.5 In earthworms 2 Overview of vertebrate digestion 3 Human digestion process o 3.1 Phases of gastric secretion o 3.2 Oral cavity o 3.3 Pharynx o 3.4 Esophagus o 3.5 Stomach o 3.6 Small intestine o 3.7 Large intestine 4 Breakdown into nutrients o 4.1 Protein digestion o 4.2 Fat digestion o 4.3 Carbohydrate digestion

o 4.4 DNA and RNA digestion 5 Digestive hormones 6 Significance of pH in digestion 7 Uses of animal's internal organs by humans 8 See also 9 References 10 External links

Digestive systems