7.

2 The human digestive system

digestive system is a group of organs that work together to perform a particular function.

There are 5 processes made during digestion, ingestion, digestion, absorption, assimilation and egestion.

ingestion – This means taking food and drink into the mouth.

Digestion – pieces have to be broken down into small pieces (physical digestion), The small molecules
can then get through the walls of the intestines and into the blood (chemical digestion)

absorption – This is the movement of the small nutrient molecules and mineral ions through the walls of
the intestines and into the blood.

Assimilation – absorbed by individual cells and used for energy or to make new substances.

egestion – These wastes are not absorbed. It remains in the intestines and eventually passes out as
faeces, (mostly fibre)

The alimentary canal

The alimentary canal is a long tube which runs from the mouth to the anus, The wall of the alimentary
canal contains muscles, which contract and relax to make food move along. These muscular contractions
are called peristalsis.

Sometimes, it is necessary to keep the food in one part of the alimentary canal for a while, before it is
allowed to move to the next part. Special muscles can close the tube completely in certain places. They
are called sphincter muscles.

To help the food to slide easily through the alimentary canal, it is lubricated with mucus. Mucus is made
in goblet cells which are found in the lining of the alimentary canal, along its entire length.
The mouth
The salivary glands make saliva. This is a mixture of water, mucus and the enzyme amylase, then it slides
easily down the oesophagus when it is swallowed. Amylase begins to digest starch.

The oesophagus
There are two tubes leading down from the back of the mouth. The one in front is the trachea or
windpipe, which takes air down to the lungs. Behind the trachea is the oesophagus, which takes food
down to the stomach.

The ‘hole’ in the centre of the oesophagus, down which food can pass, is called a lumen. The entrance to
the stomach from the oesophagus is closed by a sphincter muscle. The muscle relaxes to let food pass
into the stomach, then contracts to close the entrance again.

The stomach
The stomach has strong, muscular walls. The muscles contract and relax to mix the food with the
enzymes and mucus, the stomach wall contains goblet cells which secrete mucus. It also contains other
cells which produce enzymes and others which make hydrochloric acid. The enzymes produced in the
stomach digest proteins, so they are proteases.

The hydrochloric acid (PH 2) kills harmful microorganisms in the food. This pH is also the optimum pH for
the protease enzymes that act in the stomach.

After digestion, the sphincter at the bottom of the stomach opens and lets the partly digested food
move into the duodenum.

The small intestine

The small intestine is the part of the alimentary canal between the stomach and the colon. It is about 5
m long.

The pancreas cream-colored gland, lying just underneath the stomach. A tube called the pancreatic duct
leads from the pancreas into the duodenum. Pancreatic juice is a fluid made by the pancreas. It flows
along the pancreatic duct into the duodenum. Pancreatic juice contains many different enzymes, so
chemical digestion continues in the duodenum.

Ileum found at the last part, nearest to the colon, all the digested nutrients are absorbed into the blood
from the ileum, including water.

The large intestine

The final part of the alimentary canal is the large intestine. It is made up of the colon and rectum. The
colon absorbs much of the water that still remains in the food. The rectum stores undigested food as
faeces. These are then egested from the body through the anus
The pancreas and liver
The liver also secretes a fluid that helps with digestion. This fluid is called bile. Which is stored in the gall
bladder. When food enters the duodenum, the bile flows along the bile duct and is mixed with the food
in the duodenum. Bile is a yellowish green, alkaline, watery liquid, which helps to neutralize the acidic
mixture from the stomach.