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Stages of Digestion Explained

The document outlines the stages of digestion, including physical and chemical breakdown processes in the mouth, stomach, and small intestine. It details the roles of various enzymes and bile in breaking down carbohydrates, proteins, and fats, as well as the absorption of nutrients through the small intestine's villi and lacteals. Additionally, it describes the function of the large intestine in solidifying food residues.

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joshua.hezekiah
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12 views3 pages

Stages of Digestion Explained

The document outlines the stages of digestion, including physical and chemical breakdown processes in the mouth, stomach, and small intestine. It details the roles of various enzymes and bile in breaking down carbohydrates, proteins, and fats, as well as the absorption of nutrients through the small intestine's villi and lacteals. Additionally, it describes the function of the large intestine in solidifying food residues.

Uploaded by

joshua.hezekiah
Copyright
© All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
Available Formats
Download as DOCX, PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd

Digestion Stages

Physical breakdown Chemical breakdo


Teeth rip, tear & grind food to smaller pieces. Protein & fat DO NO
Carbohydrate: Saliva
The tongue pushes food down the oesophagus.
starch to maltose.
Salivary glands produce saliva and amylase to moisten food
for easy swallowing.

Physical breakdown Chemical breakdown


Peristalsis moves food around and helps to break it
Protein & fat DO NOT bre
down.
Broken food pieces mix with gastric juices produced in Carbohydrate: Salivary a
the stomach. to maltose.
Chyme is a term used to refer to broken-down food.

Chemical breakdown only


Chyme mixed with bile (Bile is produced by the liver and stored in the gall bladder) a
the pancreas).
Protein: Trypsinogen (produced by the pancreas) mixes with enterokinase to form tr
to break down proteins into peptones.
Trypsinogen + Enterokinase -> Trypsin
Fat: Bile emulsifies fats to disperse them into small droplets. Pancreatic lipase breaks
fatty acids.
Carbohydrate: Amylase breaks down starch to maltose.

Chemical breakdown only


Protein: Erepsin converts peptones to amino acids.
Fat: is broken by lipase further.
Carbohydrate: Maltase breaks down maltose to glucose. Invertase breaks sucro
to glucose + fructose. Lactase breaks lactose into glucose + galactose.
 Mouth:

 Stomach:

 Duodenum:

 Ileum:
Enzymes in Digestion
 Amylase: breaks starch to maltose.

 Erepsin: digests peptones to amino acids (found in intestinal

juices).

 Invertase: breaks sucrose to glucose + fructose.

 Lactase breaks lactose into glucose + galactose.

 Lipase: breaks fats (found in pancreatic juices/intestines).

 Maltase: breaks maltose to glucose.

 Pepsin: breaks proteins into peptides, then

to peptones, then polypeptides.

 Renin: clots milk.

 Trypsinogen: breaks proteins into peptones.

Role of Bile in Fat Emulsification


 The liver produces bile.

 Bile emulsifies fats.

 Breaks down fats into small droplets.

 Small droplets create a larger surface area.

 Fat droplets are then digested by lipase.

Absorption of Nutrients
Small intestine:

[Alcohol- the only substance that can be absorbed in the stomach.]

 Villi:

o Tiny finger-like projections.

o Surrounded by a wall of single cells.


o Single cells allow nutrients to move through and reach the

lacteal.

 Lacteal:

o Connected to the lymphatic system.

o Surrounded by blood capillaries.

o Monosaccharides, amino acids, water-soluble vitamins &

minerals are absorbed into blood capillaries.

o Glucose is used for immediate energy or converted to

glycogen

 Converted glycogen is stored in the liver and muscles.

 Glycerol and Fatty acids are absorbed into the lacteal to form fats,

converted to soluble fats in the liver.

Large intestine (colon):

 Food residues and water products pass here in a liquid state.

 Water is absorbed here, making the food residues solid formin

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