Human and Social Biology F.

Kassim

Digestion

Digestion is defined as the breakdown of complex food substances into simpler food substances.

Types of digestion:

 Mechanical digestion – physical breakdown of food which occurs mainly in the mouth and
stomach.
 Chemical digestion – chemical breakdown of food which occurs in the mouth, stomach,
duodenum and ileum.

Types of teeth and their function:

 Incisors – chisel shaped and used for cutting. 8

 Canine – pointed and used for tearing meat. 4
 Premolars – flat and rigid and used for grinding. 8
 Molars – flat and rigid and used for grinding. 12

Dental formula

Shows the number of teeth on the upper and lower jaw on one side of the mouth.

Milk dentition formula: 2/2 I; 1/1 C; 2/2 PM; 2/2 M

Permanent dentition formula: 2/2 I; 1/1 C; 2/2 PM; 3/3 M

Diagram of tooth
Human and Social Biology F. Kassim

Tooth decay

Tooth decay occurs when food particles become fermented by bacteria to produce acids. The
acids would breakdown the calcium salts in the enamel and then the dentine to form a cavity
which causes tooth ache. As the cavity progresses into the pulp cavity, severe tooth ache occurs.
In other words, bacteria in the plaque feeds on sugars in food and makes acid, which eats away at
the teeth.

Diagram showing tooth decay

Evaluation: Teeth

1. State five ways of taking care of the teeth.

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2. How does fluoridation help to take care of the teeth?
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Enzymes
Human and Social Biology F. Kassim

An enzyme is a biological catalyst. A catalyst is a molecule that speeds up the rate of a chemical
reaction. Enzymes convert substrates into products. Enzymes therefore carry out catalysis.

Properties of Enzymes

Diagram of Digestive system

Role of enzymes in digestion

Human and Social Biology F. Kassim

Organ pH Enzymes Substrates Products

Mouth Neutral

Stomach Acidic

Duodenum Alkaline

Ileum Alkaline

Table showing the role of enzymes in the digestive system

Absorption in the villi

Structure of a villus showing its adaptations for absorption

Fate of end products of digestion:

Nutrient End product Fate (Assimilation)

Human and Social Biology F. Kassim

Carbohydrates Glucose  Transported to cells and broken down to release energy

during respiration.
 Transported to the liver and converted to glycogen and
stored.
Fats Fatty acids and  Broken down to release energy
glycerol  Stored as fats in the dermis region of the skin to
provide warmth
 Excess fatty acids and glycerol are transported to liver
and converted to fats and stored.
Proteins Amino acids  Use to build and repair worn out tissues and aid in
growth
 Excess amino acids are transported to liver where it is
deaminated into urea. Urea is later transported to
kidneys and excreted as urine.
Table showing the assimilation of end products of digestion:

Digestion
Human and Social Biology F. Kassim

Factors affecting enzyme activity

 pH
 temperature
 poisons
 substrate concentration

Graph showing the effect of temperature on enzyme activity.

Graph showing the effect of pH on salivary amylase.

Changes in pH can change the shape of an enzyme so that they may not bind with the substrate
to form products. In general, enzymes have an optimum pH.
Human and Social Biology F. Kassim

Difference between excretion and egestion:

Excretion is the process by which waste and harmful substances, produced by the body’s
metabolism are removed from the body whilst egestion is the process by which undigested food
material is removed from the body.