Physiology

Physiology of
of
Digestion
Digestion

de Pedro, Jemelin
Nuñez, Noemi Angela
Peña, Maria Antonia Rosanna
Solis, Christian Marie Araceli
 Introduction
• The digestive system is a portal for nutrients from the
environment to gain access to the circulatory system. Before
such transfer can occur, foodstuffs first have to be reduced to
very simple molecules by a combination of physical and
mechanical digestion. The resulting sugars, amino acids,
fatty acids and the like are then transported across the
epithelium lining the intestine into blood.

• Physical digestion refers to the grinding of large pieces of

food into tiny particles while chemical digestion describes
use of enzymes released into the digestive system to break
down large biopolymers into monomers or simple forms.
A. Physical Digestion of Macromolecules
 Methodology

1. Stared and imagined how it tastes like

2. Smelled the aroma and imagined its
flavor
3. Took a bite and observed specific parts
of the mouth that ground the food.

•Mouth should be as dry as possible before the experiment

•Observations from start to swallowing were taken note of
 Results and Discussion

- Salivate (brought by sight, smell,

taste)
- Incisors, Canine, Pre-molar, Molar
B. Chemical Digestion of Carbohydrates
 Methodology
C1: 3.0 ml distilled H2O
C2: 3.0 ml salivary amylase
C C C C
1 2 3 4 C3: 3.0 ml salivary amylase with 10

drops HCl
C4: 3.0 ml salivary amylase
solution & place tube in boiling
water for 5 minutes

Added 5.0 ml of starch solution to each tube

and
incubated at 370C water bath for 1 hour.
 Methodology

C C C C C C C C
1 2 3 4 1 2 3 4

Check for the presence of starch. Check for the presence of

(Lugol’s Test)
-Lugol’s iodine solution
-Blue to black: Starch is
present(+)
-Amber coloration (-)
maltose.
-(Benedict’s test)
-5.0 ml Benedict’s reagent
*place in boiling H2O for 10 mins
-Green (small amts), Yellow
(moderate amts), Orange to Red
(large amts)
Lugol’s Iodine (Lugol’s solution, 1829)
• a solution of elemental iodine and potassium
iodide in water
• consists of 5 g iodine (I2) and 10 g
potassium iodide (KI) mixed with 85 ml
distilled water, to make a brown solution with a
total iodine content of 150 mg/mL.

• Uses:
– As an indicator test for the presence of starch in
organic compounds, with which it reacts by
turning a dark blue/black. – iodine interacts with
the coil structure of the polysaccharide.
– An antiseptic and disinfectant
 Results and Discussion

• LUGOL’S TEST
• C1: ++++
• C2: +
• C3: ++
• C4: +++

*presence of starch in all test tubes; they only varied

with the amount of starch present.
Benedict’s Reagent
(Benedict’s solution or Benedict’s Test)

C1: + (remained blue)

C2: ++++
C3: ++
C4: +++

• used as a test for the presence of reducing sugars, presence of

aldehyde, and alpha-hydroxy-ketones (e.g. fructose)
• used to determine how much reducing sugar is present.
• contains blue copper(II) ions (Cu2+) which are reduced to copper(I)
(Cu+). These are precipitated as red copper(I) oxide which is
insoluble in water.
 EXPERIMENT OBSERVATION INTERFERENCE

Substance in water + 3ml Red ppt or green ppt or yellow ppt Reducing sugar e.g. Glucose is
Benedict’s solution, then boil for obtained present
few minutes and allow to cool

Substance in water + 3ml Solution remains clear Non-reducing sugar e.g. Sucrose is
Benedict’s solution, then boil for present
few minutes and allow to cool
C. Chemical Digestion of Protein
 Methodology

P P P P P
1 2 3 4 5

P1: 10 drops of distilled

water
P2: 10 drops of HCl
Added 5 ml of pepsin to
P3: 10 drops of HCl and
each tube except P4
put in ice bath
P4: 5 ml of distilled water
and 10 drops of HCl Incubate all except P3 in 37oC
P5: 10 drops of NaOH water bath for 90 mins
 Methodology
• Examined egg whites slices in incubation.
Took note:
if any digestion occurred
any color change to the solution

* (+) digested with or without color change

* (-) not digested
 Results

Set-up Number Observation

P1 (pepsin and water) + fast (second)

P2 (pepsin and HCl) + fastest

P3 (pepsin and HCl on ice) + fast (third)

P4 (water and HCl) + slowest

P5 (pepsin and NaOH) - no digestion

 Discussion

Just like our stomach, test tube 2 is very acidic.

Therefore, its acidity caused the fastest
breakdown of protein in the egg white. HCl
somehow speeded up the digestive function of
pepsin.
Temperature also affected the activity of the
enzymes as test tube 3 (the one placed in an ice
bath) digested the egg white slower. Too high and
too low temperatures could disrupt an enzyme’s
function; a moderate temperature is required for
them to work efficiently.
• Test tube 1 followed because it does not contain
HCl that would catalyze pepsin. Test tube 4 ranks
fourth because HCl alone cannot breakdown
covalent bonds. Finally, the basic substance in test
tube 5 adversely affected pepsin, completely
stopping its digestive function.
D. Chemical Digestion of Triglycerides
 Methodology

F F F
1 2 3 3.0 ml of cream in each tube

F1: 5.0 distilled H2O + few grains of bile salt

Shook. F2: Pancreatin solution
F3: Pancreatin solution + few grains of bile salt

Incubated tubes in 37o C water

Measured INITIAL PH
bath for 1 hour

Measured pH every 20, 40, and 60 minutes

 Results
EXPERIMENTAL
F1 F2 F3
START BASIC BASIC ACIDIC
20 minutes BASIC BASIC ACIDIC
40 minutes BASIC SLIGHTLY ACIDIC ACIDIC
60 minutes BASIC SLIGHTLY ACIDIC ACIDIC

THEORETICAL
F1 F2 F3
START BASIC BASIC ACIDIC
20 minutes BASIC BASIC ACIDIC
40 minutes BASIC SLIGHTLY ACIDIC ACIDIC
60 minutes BASIC SLIGHTLY ACIDIC ACIDIC
 Discussion

 Pancreatin
:mixture of digesting enzymes produced by the
pancreas, including amylase, lipase, and trypsin.
 Bile salts
:negatively charged cholesterol derivatives
:amphipathic - both hydrophobic (lipid soluble) and
hydrophilic
:emulsification agents
• Lipids aggregate into large droplets minimizing
the surface area of contact between fat and
water.
• Digestive enzymes are hydrophilic, only able to
digest molecules on the surface.
• Amphiphatic molecules break down fats droplets
to tiny emulsification droplets.
• Lipases can come contact with the triglycerides
and hydrolyze them into amphiphatic free fatty
acids and monoglycerides.
 Conclusion
• For food to be utilized by the body, it must
first undergo a series of processes which we
call digestion. After we perform the only
really voluntary actions involved in the
process of nutrition—putting the food into our
mouths, chewing and swallowing—the
balance of the digestive process is the
function of the autonomic or involuntary
nervous system.
• THE END.


February 15, 2010