DIGESTIVE SYSTEM

Human Digestive System

The system by which ingested food is acted upon by physical and chemical means
to provide the body with absorbable nutrients and to excrete waste products.

The enzymes used in digestion system, their source of secretion and their work.

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 Digestive Process
Human beings depend on other organisms for food, therefore are called heterotrophic organisms
-- they need nutrients for various day to day activities.
The complete process of nutrition is divided into five stages:
1. Ingestion
2. Digestion
3. Absorption
4. Assimilation

5. Defecation

Ingestion
The process of taking food into the mouth is known as ingestion.

Digestion
 There is some food which is not directly absorbable, so the process of
conversion of non-absorbable food into the absorbable form is known as digestion.
 Digestion of food is started from the mouth.
 In mouth there are Salivary glands which secrete Saliva.

 Digestion in Stomach
o As the food reaches pyloric cells in the stomach, the gastric glands secretes
the gastric juice. This is a light yellow acidic acid.
o Hydrochloric acid secreted from the Oxyntic cells of the stomach kills
all the bacteria coming with food, and accelerates the reaction of enzymes.

 Digestion in Duodenum
o As the food reaches the duodenum bile juice form the liver combines with it.
o The main function of the bile juice is to convert the acidic food into alkaline,
as it is alkaline in nature.
o Pancreatic juice form pancreas combines with food and it contains the following enzymes.

 Small Intestine
o Here the process of digestion completed and absorption of digested foods start.
o In the small intestine, intestinal juices secrete and it is alkaline in nature and
around 2 litres of intestinal juice secretes per day.

Absorption
 The process of reaching the digested food into the blood is called absorption.
 The absorption of digested foods takes place through small intestine villi.

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Assimilation
Use of absorbed food in the body is called assimilation.

Defecation
Undigested food reaches into the large intestine where bacteria convert it
into faeces which are excreted through the anus.

Digestive Enzymes

Organ Enzyme Effect on Nutrient

Mouth Salivary Amylase Breaks down starch into maltose

Stomach Pepsin Breaks down proteins into dipeptides

Amylase Breaks down starch

Pancreas Trypsin Breaks down proteins into dipeptides

Lipase Breaks down lipids

Maltose Breaks down maltose into glucose

Sucrase Breaks down sucrose into glucose

Lactase Breaks down lactose into glucose

Small
Intestine
Peptidase Breaks down dipeptides into amino acids

Lipase Breaks down lipids

Erepsin Breaks down peptones into amino acids

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 Digestive Organs
The main organs of the digestive system are:
 Mouth
 Oesophagus or Food Pipe
 Stomach
 Small Intestine
 Large Intestine
 Liver
 Gall bladder

Mouth

 Food is ingested through the mouth.

 The buccal cavity or mouth consists of teeth, tongue and salivary glands.
 We can say that the digestion of carbohydrate or starch begins in the mouth itself.
 But the digestion of food remains incomplete in the mouth.

Teeth Formula

The dental formula of milk teeth is 2120/2120=10.

It means 4 incisors, 2 canines, 4 premolars and 0 molars
on each side of each jaw.
The dental formula of milk teeth is 2123/2123=16.
It means 4 incisors, 2 canines, 4 premolars and 6 molars
on each side of each jaw.

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 Oesophagus or food pipe
 The slightly digested food goes to stomach through the food pipe or oesophagus.
 With the help of peristaltic movement food is pushed inside the stomach.

⨁ Note

There are three classes of carbohydrates:

1. Monosaccharides - Glucose Fructose and Galactose

2. Disaccharides- Sucrose and Lactose
3. Polysaccharides - cellulose and starch

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 Stomach
 In the stomach, food further breaks into smaller pieces and forms a semi-solid paste.
 Glands that are present in the walls of stomach secrete gastric juice and
contain three substances hydrochloric acid, enzyme pepsin and mucus.
 The protein digestion begins in the stomach only with the help of pepsin enzyme.

Chyme / chymus

 Chyme is the semi-fluid mass of partly digested food that is expelled by the stomach,
through the pyloric valve, into the duodenum.
 The duodenum is a short section of the small intestine located between
the stomach and the rest of the small intestine.
 The duodenum also produces the hormone secretin to stimulate the pancreatic secretion
of large amounts of sodium bicarbonate, which then raises pH of the chyme to 7.
 The chyme then moves through the jejunum and the ileum, where digestion progresses,
and the non-useful portion continues onward into the large intestine.
 The duodenum is protected by a thick layer of mucus and the neutralizing actions
of the sodium bicarbonate and bile.

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 Small Intestine
 The small intestine is a long, thin tube, about 1 inch in diameter and about 20 feet long.
 With the help of ‘sphincter muscle’ food from the stomach releases in small amounts
into the small intestine.
 It is the organ of human body where complete digestion of food like carbohydrates,
proteins and fats takes place.

Large Intestine
 The large intestine is a long, thick tube about 2.5 inches in diameter and about 5 feet long.
 A part of the food which cannot be digested by our body or cannot be absorbed by
small intestine passes into the large intestine.
 The wall of intestine absorbs most of the water from the food and makes it solid.
 Rectum is the last part of the large intestine where this solid food for some time is
stored and egested from our body through the anus as faeces or stool.

Trivia

Large Intestine diameter is larger than small intestine but length of

small intestine is longer than large intestine.

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 Pancreas, Liver and Gallbladder.

Pancreas
 It is known for blood sugar regulatory function with the production of insulin
 Digestive enzymes are secreted by the pancreas, released into the small intestine
and helps in the digestion of fats, proteins and carbohydrates.
Beta Cells
 Beta Cells are a type of cell found in the pancreatic islets of the pancreas.
 The primary function of a beta cell is to store and release insulin.
 Insulin is a hormone that brings about effects which reduce blood glucose concentration.
Beta cells can respond quickly to spikes in blood glucose concentrations by secreting
some of their stored insulin while simultaneously producing more.

Liver
 It produces bile juice which secretes enzymes and help in the digestion of fat.
 A human liver normally weighs 1.44–1.66 kg (3.2–3.7 lb), and has a width of about 15 cm.
 It is both the heaviest internal organ and the largest gland in the human body.
 Its other roles in metabolism include the regulation of glycogen storage,
decomposition of red blood cells and the production of hormones.

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 Gallbladder
When fatty food enters the small intestine, the gallbladder contracts and releases
bile which is stored in it.
Bile Juice

 There are no enzymes present in bile juice.

 Bile tends to be alkali on average.
 The pH of common duct bile (7.50 to 8.05) is higher than that of the
corresponding gallbladder bile (6.80 to 7.65).
The composition of gallbladder bile is 97% water, 0.7% bile salts, 0.2% bilirubin,
0.51% fats (cholesterol, fatty acids, and lecithin),and 200 meq/l inorganic salts.