DIGESTION

Digestion is the breakdown of carbohydrates, proteins and fats into

small soluble substances to be absorbed into the blood.
Amylase, proteases and lipases are enzymes that are important in
digestion.
• The food we eat has carbohydrates, lipids and proteins.
• It is broken down into sugars (glucose), fatty acids, glycerol
and amino acids and then absorbed through the wall of the
gut.
This is called digestion.
• They are then carried to tissues to perform their functions.
• Digestion – 2 types – Mechanical/Physical AND Chemical
• Mechanical takes place in mouth, stomach etc.
• 8m
• Breakdown
- M, S, SId
• Enzymes – Pancreas
• Absorption – SIj, SIi
• LI – H2O absorption
-Storages of feces
 PERISTALSIS
• Food is moved through the digestive
system by a process called peristalsis.
Two sets of muscles in the gut wall are
involved:
• circular muscles - which reduce the
diameter of the gut when they contract
• longitudinal muscles - which reduce the
length of the gut when they contract
• The muscles work together to produce
wave-like contractions. These have a
‘squeezing action’ that pushes the bolus
through the gut.
 Enzymes and food
• 3 classes of food
– Carbohydrates, Lipids, Proteins
• 3 classes of enzymes
– Carbohydrases, Lipases, Proteases
• Carbohydrases
- Amylase, Maltase
-Salivary Glands, Pancreas, Wall
of SI
• Lipases
- Lipase
- From Pancreas
• Proteases
- Pepsin, Trypsin, Peptidases
- Walls of stomach and SI, pancreas
 DIGESTION (IN MOUTH)
• Digestion begins in mouth.
• Saliva – Moisten the food +
Breakdown of Starch
• Saliva has the enzyme amylase.
• Amylase converts starch into
maltose.
• Food mixed with saliva is
passed into esophagus and
then into stomach.
DIGESTION (IN STOMACH)
• Digestion of protein starts here.
• Stomach produces HCl. So, stomach
is very acidic.
• Function of acidic environment
-Kills bacteria in the food
-Help protect from food poisoning
-Activates Pepsin
• Though most enzymes work at
neutral pH, protease enzyme –
Pepsin works best at pH = 2 (very
acidic).
• Pepsin breaks protein in smaller
peptides.
• Semi-digested food is kept in stomach by a ring of muscle called sphincter
muscle.
• When this muscle relaxes, food is released into first part of small intestine –
duodenum.
 DIGESTION ( IN DUODENUM )
• Many digestive enzymes are added
to chyme in duodenum.
• The enzymes are produced by liver
and pancreas.
• Liver also produces a digestive juice
– BILE.
• Characteristics of Bile
 Green Liquid
 Stored in Gall Bladder
 Passes through bile duct
• Pancreas produces PANCREATIC
JUICE.
FUNCTIONS OF BILE
• It convert large lipid globules into
emulsion of tiny droplets –
EMULSIFICATION.
• This ↑ the surface area of lipid.
• Lipase enzyme can now easily break it
down.
• Mixes with the chyme and makes it
alkaline.
FUNCTIONS OF
PANCREATIC JUICE
• Mixes with the chyme and makes it
alkaline.
• Has amylase, protease and lipase.
DIGESTION ( IN ILEUM )
• In Ileum, more enzymes are
added.
• Whatever parts of food were left
to be digested are fully broken
down into soluble end products.
• These products can be absorbed
into the blood now.
 ABSORPTION (IN ILEUM)
• Absorption – Movement of digested food into blood ( AA and Glu) and lymph (FA + Gly)
• Ileum has a very large surface area.
• So, it can absorb soluble products of digestion into blood.
• Intestine has large SA because (1) length (2) Folds with Villi.
VILLI
• Tiny finger shaped projections
on folds in small intestine.
• Singular – ‘villus’
• Each villus is 1-2mm long.
• There are million of them. So,
total SA is 300 m2
• Again, each villus has minute
projections – microvilli.
• Both together increase the
surface area for absorption.
• Villi have muscle fibers which
contract. So, the villi always
maintains contact with food.
CHARACTERISTICS OF VILLI
• They have several important features:
• Wall just one cell thick (epithelium) - ensures
that there is only a short distance for
absorption to happen by diffusion and active
transport. Epithelial cells have mitochondria
which give the energy for the diffusion or
active transport.
• Network of blood capillaries -
transports glucose and amino acids away from
the small intestine in the blood
• Internal structure called a lacteal -
transports fatty acids and glycerol away from
the small intestine in the lymph. Lacteals are a
parts of the body’s lymphatic system, which
transports a liquid called lymph (lymph
eventually drains into blood system)
JOURNEY FROM
ILEUM
• Blood vessels from ileum join to
form a large blood vessel –
Hepatic Portal Vein.
• Hepatic Portal Vein leads to liver.
LIVER
• Liver takes the small
molecules and converts
them into storable forms.
• Eg. Liver takes GLUCOSE
from carbohydrates and
converts them into
GLYCOGEN.

Later when body needs

glucose, glycogen is broken
down.
ASSIMILATION
• Digested food is distributed in the body by the blood system.
• The soluble food molecules are absorbed from blood into cells/tissues
and used by the cells.
• This is called assimilation.
LARGE INTESTINE 
EXCRETION
• Towards the end, most of the
digested food and water is
absorbed.
• Most of the water is absorbed from
the colon (first part of LI).
• The semi-solid waste – feces
consists of cellulose (fiber),
indigestible remains, water, dead
and leaving bacteria, dead cells
form lining of gut etc.
• Feces is stored in rectum.
• It is expelled through anus.