THE DIGESTIVE PROCESS
DIGESTION - the process of breaking down food
by mechanical and lymphatic action in the
alimentary canal into substances that can be
used by the body.
TYPES OF DIGESTIVE SYSTEM
*MONOGASTRIC - only one stomach
(ex. Hogs, cats, dogs and humans)
*AVIAN - they do not have teeth, but has a
crop, proventriculus, gizzard and a cloaca.
 CROP - storage area.
 PROVENTRICULUS - stomach
 GIZZARD - grinds down food
 CLOACA - anus
*RUMINANT - large stomach; 4 compartments -
rumen, reticulum, omasum and abomasum.
(ex. Cattle, sheep, goat and deer)
 RUMEN - 1st compartment; contains
millions of bacteria and other
microbes that promote fermentation,
which breaks down roughages.
 RETICULUM - 2nd compartment; traps
foreign materials such as wires, nails
and so forth.
 OMASUM - 3rd compartment; they
grind the food as they feed and
removes some of the water from the
feed.
 ABOMASUM - 4th compartment;
referred as the stomach and has the
same fucntion.
*PSEUDO-RUMINANT - they eat a large amount
of roughages but does not have a stomach with
several compartments.
HUMAN DIGESTIVE SYSTEM
TYPES OF DIGESTION
*PHYSICAL/MECHANICAL - physical breakdown
of food through non-enzyme means.
*CHEMICAL - use enzymes to breakdown food.
THE DIGESTION PROCESS
*INGESTION - brings dood into the mouth
(eating).
*PROPULSION - flow of the food through the
gastrointestinal tract.
*MECHANIC DIGESTION - actions include
chewing and churning of food in stomach and
mixing food with digestive juices.
*CHEMICAL DIGESTION - involves enzymes,
hydrochloric acid and other digestive juices.
*ABSORPTION - process of transporting
digested food molecules from the GI tract to the
blood and lymphatic vessels.
*DEFECATION - elimination of feces
(Indigestable substances/digestable waste).
DIGESTIVE SYSTEM HAS 4 COMPONENTS
1. GASTROINTESTINAL TRACT - a twisting
chamber that transports food and has an
intestinal surface area between 30-40 square
meters.
2. PANCREAS, GALL BLADDER and LIVER - trio
of organs used to breakdown food into special
juices.
3. ENZYMES, HORMONES, NERVES and BLOOD
- helps breakdown food, modulate the digestive
process and deliver nutrients and oxygen.
4. MESSENTERY - a large stretch of tissue which
supports and position all of our digestive organs
in the abdomen.
 PERISTALSIS - a series of defined muscle
contractions.
 DUODENUM - disolves fats so that they
can be easily digested.
ORDER OF THE PATHWAY OF FOOD THROUGH
THE DIGESTIVE SYSTEM
1. MOUTH 5. SMALL INTESTINE
2. PHARYNX 6. LARGE INTESTINE
3. ESOPHAGUS 7. RECTUM
4. STOMACH 8. ANUS
1. MOUTH (ORAL CAVITY) - both physical and
chemical digestion takes place.
 TONGUE - taste, manipulates food,
prepares food by swallowing and
forming into a ball (BOLUS).
 SALIVA - moistures, protects mouth
from abrasions, serves as buffer
against acid and kills some bacteria.
 SALIVARY AMYLASE - enzyme
begins digestion of
carbohydrates.

2. PHARYNX (THROAT) - Intersection of
GLOTTIS and opening of the esophagus
(GULLET) is formed.
 EPIGLOTTIS - a flap that closes the
glottis when the act of swallowing
occurs
 Hydrochloric Acid is also Muriatic
Acid.
3. ESOPHAGUS - connects PHARYNX and
STOMACH.
 PERISTALSIS - wave-like contractions
of smooth muscles that pushes food
down towards the stomach.
 CARDIAC SPHINCTER - esophagus
and stomach connects.
 LIVER - produces bile which is needed to
help digest fat.
 GALL BLADDER - stores the bile.
 PANCREAS - produces enzymes needed to
finish digesting the main organic food. Also
procus INSULIN.

4. STOMACH - J-shaped organ that stores and

digest food.
 GASTRIC JUICES - ph 1-2
 ENZYME; pepsin which acts as
proteins.
 HCI is needed to activate pepsin
from its inactive form
PEPSINOGEN.
 GASTRIN - hormone secreted to
regulate gastric juices.
 Mucus covers the inner lining to
prevent the acid from eating the
tissue.
 PYLORIC SPHINCTER - pylorus
connects the stomach to the small
intestine and closes off the stomach
at it’s posterior end.

5. SMALL INTESTINE - the breaking down of

macromolecules occur there.
 6 meters in length
 Smaller diameter than the large
intestine.

ABSORPTION AND DISTRIBUTION OF

NUTRIENTS
 VILLI - small finger-like projections that
increase the surface area.
 MICROVILLI - even smaller finger-like
projection than the villi.
 LACTEAL - large lymph vessels focus of
each villi (ABSORBS FATS)
 CAPILLARIES - ABSORBS NUTRIENTS except
FATS).

6. LARGE INTESTINE - main function of the

colon is to reabsorb water from the small
intestinal material.
 APPENDIX - attatched to the end of
the CECUM.
 Stores solid waste in the area called
the RECTUM.

ACCESSORY ORGAN