10 Digestion

Digestion Process
• The digestive system is the organ system that processes food, extracts nutrients
from it, and eliminates the residue. It does this in four stages:
1. ingestion, the selective intake of food;
2. digestion, the mechanical and chemical breakdown of food into a form usable
by the body;
3. absorption, the uptake of nutrient molecules into the epithelial cells of the
digestive tract and then into the blood or lymph; and finally
4. defecation, the elimination of undigested residue.

• The digestion include Mechanical and Chemical digestion.
• Mechanical digestion is the physical breakdown of food into smaller particles.

It is achieved by the cutting and grinding action of the teeth and the churning
contractions of the stomach and small intestine. Mechanical digestion exposes
more food surface to the action of digestive enzymes.
• Chemical digestion is a series of hydrolysis reactions that break dietary

macromolecules into their monomers and residues: polysaccharides into
monosaccharides, proteins into amino acids, fats into glycerol and fatty acids,
and nucleic acids into nucleotides.
• It is carried out by digestive enzymes produced by the salivary glands,
stomach, pancreas, and small intestine.
• Some nutrients are already present in usable form in the ingested food and are
absorbed without being digested: vitamins, free amino acids, minerals,
cholesterol, and water.
• Salivary and gastric enzymes partially digest protein and small amounts of
starch and fat in the stomach, but completion of the digestion and absorption of
food occur in the small intestine.
• Digestion of the food start in the oral cavity when the food is grind by the teeth
and then mixed with saliva which contain water, mucus, lysozyme, lingual
lipase (activated by acid in the stomach) and salivary amylase.
• Saliva moist the food. Salivary amylase begins to digest starch as the food is
chewed, while the mucus in the saliva binds food particles into a soft, slippery,
easily swallowed mass called a bolus. Lysozyme kill germs that contaminate
the food.
• Then the bolus will be swallowed by contraction of pharynx and esophagus

muscles and enter the esophagus tube.
• As the bolus slides off into the esophagus, it stretches the esophagus and
triggers peristalsis, a wave of muscular contraction that pushes the bolus ahead
of it.
• As a bolus reaches the lower end of the esophagus, the lower esophageal
sphincter relaxes to let it pass into the stomach.
• No digestion of food in the esophagus, just passing the food molecules.

• Once the food reach the stomach, which churn the food, mix it with gastric
juice, and promote its physical breakup and chemical digestion.
• Gastric juice contains Hydrochloric Acid secrets by parietal cells; glycoprotein

(intrinsic factor) secrets by parietal cells; Pepsin secrets by the Chief cells
(Zymogenic); gastric lipase and chymosin (rennin) secrets by the Chief cells.
• Stomach acid has several functions: (1) It activates the enzymes pepsin and
lingual lipase. (2) It breaks up connective tissues and plant cell walls, helping
to liquefy food and form chyme. (3) It kill ingested bacteria and other
pathogens.
• Pepsin digest dietary proteins to shorter peptide chains, which then pass to the
small intestine, where their digestion is completed.
• Glycoprotein (intrinsic factor) is essential to the absorption of vitamin B12 by
the small intestine.
• Gastric lipase digests some of the butterfat of milk.
• The digested food in the stomach (Chyme) then squeezes through the pyloric
sphincter to the duodenum.
• The stomach does not absorb any significant amount of nutrients but does
absorb aspirin and some lipid-soluble drugs.
• The small intestine receives not only chyme from the stomach but also
secretions from the Liver, gallbladder and pancreas, which enter the digestive
tract near the junction of the stomach and small intestine. These secretions are
so important to the digestive processes of the small intestine.
• Gallbladder secrets bile which is a yellow-green fluid synthesis by liver and
concentrate by gallbladder. Bile aid in fat digestion and absorption.
Lipids Bile droplets of fats
• Pancreas acini secrets pancreatic juice which is an alkaline mixture of water,

enzymes, zymogens, sodium bicarbonate, and other electrolytes.
• The bicarbonate buffers (neutralize) HCl arriving from the stomach.
• The pancreatic trypsinogen digest protein and convert it into peptides.

• Other pancreatic enzymes include pancreatic amylase, pancreatic lipase, and
ribonuclease and deoxyribonuclease, which digest RNA and DNA,
respectively.
• All these enzymes become active, however, only in the intestinal lumen.
• Other enzymes secrete by intestinal glands (crypts) include lysozyme secretes

by Paneth cells.
• Bicarbonate-rich mucus secretes by duodenal (Brunner) gland.
• Other enzymes such as maltase and peptidase also secreted by intestinal

glands.
• After the chyme is neutralized in the duodenum, digestion will proceed.
Fats bile droplets of fats
droplets of fats pancreatic lipase 3 fatty acid and glycerol.
Protein pancreatic trypsin peptides
Peptides peptidase amino acids
Starch pancreatic amylase maltose
maltose maltase glucose

• After the completion of digestion process; glucose, amino acids and the
3fatty acids will absorbed by absorptive cells of small intestine where
glucose and amino acid will delivered into the blood vessels in villi.
• The 3 fatty acids and glycerol will be modified by epithelial cell into
lipoprotein and then delivered into lacteal (lymphatic vessel) in the villi.
• Glucose and amino acids then carried by the hepatic portal vein into the
liver where they poured into the hepatic sinusoid until they reach the
central vein which eventually deliver it to the circulatory system.
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10 Digestion

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Digestion Process

1. ingestion, the selective intake of food;

4. defecation, the elimination of undigested residue.

• Mechanical digestion is the physical breakdown of food into smaller particles.

• Chemical digestion is a series of hydrolysis reactions that break dietary

• Then the bolus will be swallowed by contraction of pharynx and esophagus

• No digestion of food in the esophagus, just passing the food molecules.

• Gastric juice contains Hydrochloric Acid secrets by parietal cells; glycoprotein

• Gastric lipase digests some of the butterfat of milk.

Lipids Bile droplets of fats

• Pancreas acini secrets pancreatic juice which is an alkaline mixture of water,

• The bicarbonate buffers (neutralize) HCl arriving from the stomach.

• The pancreatic trypsinogen digest protein and convert it into peptides.

• Other enzymes secrete by intestinal glands (crypts) include lysozyme secretes

• Bicarbonate-rich mucus secretes by duodenal (Brunner) gland.

• Other enzymes such as maltase and peptidase also secreted by intestinal

Fats bile droplets of fats

droplets of fats pancreatic lipase 3 fatty acid and glycerol.

Protein pancreatic trypsin peptides

Peptides peptidase amino acids

Starch pancreatic amylase maltose

maltose maltase glucose

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