Note 11 Digestion PDF

Digestion
Some important definitions:
Ingestion- It is a process through which intake of food and drinks occurs into the body. It occurs
through mouth in the mammals.
Digestion- It is a hydrolysis process through which large insoluble food molecules are broken
down mechanically and chemically through enzymatic action into small soluble molecules,
which can be absorbrd into the blood. For example, starch is digested into glucose in the gut.
Absorption- It is the process through which digested food molecules, such as glucose, amino
acids, and fatty acids and glycerols are taken into blood. It occurs in the villi of the small
intestine. water is absorbed by osmosis, digested products such as glucose, amino acids and
mineral ions such as Na+, Cl-, K+ etc are absorbed by active transport against the concentration
gradient using energy from respiration.
Assimilation- The transport and utilization of absorbed food is known as assimilation. Hence,
new substances are manufactured in the cells using the products of digestion.
For example,
• glucose is used as a respiratory substrate in respiration

• glucose is converted into glycogen which can be treated as energy store in animal
• glucose can be converted into other chemicals such as protein
• amino acids are used in making enzyme, hormones, haemoglobin and antibodies
• Amino acids are also used to make structural proteins such as tendon, ligament, keratin in
hairs and nails etc.
• lipids are used in making cell membrane, steroid hormones such as testosterone,
oestrogen and progesterone
Egestion- It is the process through which undigested food is removed from the body in the form
of faeces through anus.
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Human digestive system and digestion
The human digestive system includes the following parts:
• Mouth
• Oesophagus
• Stomach
• Small intestine
• Large intestine including caecum, colon and rectum
• Anus
• And associated digestive glands such as salivary glands, the liver and pancreas
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Digestion in the mouth-
Food is digested in the mouth by both mechanically and chemically.
Mechanical digestion- It involves in cutting and crushing of solid food into small pieces by
chewing. Food is broken down into small pieces thus providing a large surface area which is
essential for effective chemical digestion.
Chemical digestion- Enzyme-salivary amylase is involved in chemical digestion of food in

mouth. Saliva released from the mouth contains water, enzyme and mucus. Water moisten the
food, mucus makes the food slippery and salivary amylase digests boiled starch into maltose.
Tongue rolls the food into bolus and pushes it downward to the stomach through oesophagus.
In the oesophagus- Oesophagus is a narrow muscular tube stretching from mouth to stomach.
Cells lining its wall secrete mucus. No digestion occurs here. Food from mouth moves to
stomach through peristalsis.
Peristalsis is a wave-like movement in which the rhythmic alternate contraction and relaxation
of circular and longitudinal muscle in the wall of the oesophagus push food along it to proceed
forward to the stomach.
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Digestion of food in the stomach-
Food is digested in the stomach by both mechanically and chemically.
Mechanical digestion involves peristalsis in which food is churned up and liquified to from
chyme. Due to peristalsis, food molecules are further broken down into smaller size to increase
its surface area to volume ratio for better action of enzyme.
Chemical digestion involves enzymes which breakdown larger food into simpler ones. These
enzymes work best in acidic medium which is ensured by HCl released from the stomach wall.
This acid not only ensures acidic pH but also activates the enzymes in the stomach. It also kills
microbes in food coming from outside.
Two enzymes are released from the stomach wall. These are-pepsin and renin. Pepsin converts
protein into polypeptides. Renin curdles milk protein. Protein in the curd is converted into casein
and paracasein. Mucus in the stomach prevents the stomach wall from the action of HCl.
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Digestion in the small intestine-
Acidic food from the stomach enters the small intestine through pyloric sphincter. Food is
digested in the small intestine in alkaline medium which is ensured by alkaline bile which is
produced in the liver and stored in the gall bladder.
Bile neutralizes acids in food and makes the food alkaline. It also emulsifies fats into droplets to
increase its surface area and reduce its surface tension for better action of enzyme.
Three enzymes-trypsin, amylase and lipase are released from pancreas onto the food in the
duodenum. Trypsin digests protein into amino acids, amylase digests starch into glucose and
lipase digests lipids into fatty acids and glycerol.
The rest of the digestion is completed by the enzymes released from the wall of small intestine.
Hence, maltase converts maltose into glucose, lactase converts lactose into glucose and
galactose, sucrase converts sucrose into glucose and fructose and peptidases convert peptides
into amino acids.
Absorption of digested food-
It takes place in the villi projected from the wall of ileum. The lining of the ileum has a very
large surface area, which means that it can quickly and efficiently absorbs the soluble products of
digestion into the blood. The length of the intestine helps to provide a large surface area, and this
is aided by folds in its lining. The villi also increase the surface area further and are adapted to
carry out its function in the following ways:
Figure : The internal structure of a villus
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• The wall of the villi is of one cell thick to ensure short diffusion distance
• Continuous blood flow through the capillary in the villi maintains steep concentration
gradient for faster absorption of digested food
• Many villi increase total surface area and the surface cells of each villus have hundreds of
minute projections which further increase total surface area
• Lacteal in the villi is involved in the absorption of the products of fat digestion
• Muscle fibers in the villi contract to move the villi in constant motion to keep them in
contact with the contents of the ileum and maintain a steep concentration gradient for
diffusion of the products of digestion
Assimilation-
Absorbed food is utilized in the cell by this process. For example, protein is used to make cell
membrane, hormones, enzymes etc.
Glucose is used in respiration, lipid is used in making steroid hormones etc.
In the large intestine-
Water and mineral ions are absorbed from the undigested food in the colon of the large intestine.
Here no digestion occurs. It holds the waste material which contains mainly cellulose fibres and
other indigestible remains, water, dead and living bacteria and cells lost from the lining of the
gut. The semi-solid waste material is temporarily stored in the rectum, until expelled out of the
body through anus.
Egestion-
Undigested food remains is removed from the body in the form of faeces through anus.
Functions of the liver-
Liver is located just beneath the diaphragm and above the stomach in the abdominal cavity. It
has the following functions:
• It produces bile
• Excess blood glucose is converted into glycogen and stored in the liver and glycogen is
also converted into glucose here
• It is involved in the process of deamination of protein. Hence, the amino group, which is
poisonous for the body, is removed from the protein and this amino group reacts with
carbon dioxide to form urea which is excreted through the kidney
• Vitamin A, D and iron are stored here
• Detoxification is also carried out here
• Fibrinogen and globulin are produced here
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Digestion

Some important definitions:

• glucose is used as a respiratory substrate in respiration

Food is digested in the mouth by both mechanically and chemically.

Chemical digestion- Enzyme-salivary amylase is involved in chemical digestion of food in

Food is digested in the stomach by both mechanically and chemically.

Figure : The internal structure of a villus

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