Food Digestion

What's the meaning of digestion?

The process of breaking down large and
complex substances into simple
molecules that can be absorbed.

The Digestive System

Which parts of
body are
involved in
digestion?

Human Digestive System

Consists of alimentary canal and the
glands and organs associated with
it.
The alimentary canal is like a tube
that extends from mouth to anus.
Most of its length is coiled in the
abdominal cavity

Physical digestion
breaking down of food particles by
the teeth (chewing) into smaller
food particles.
increase the surface area of the food
particles for enzyme reaction
involves peristalsis which moves
the food particles down the
alimentary canal.

Chemical Digestion
breaking down of large complex molecules in the food into soluble,
smaller and simple molecules by specific digestive enzymes in the
presence of water.

The process also as known as hydrolysis.

Digestion in Mouth
There are 3 pairs of salivary
glands in the mouth to produce
saliva.
water
salivary amylase
mucus

 As the food is being chewed in the

mouth, it mixes with saliva which
softens and shapes the chewed food
particles into a lump called bolus.
The saliva also moistens the food
particles to facilitate the movement
of the bolus down the oesphagus. In
the mouth cavity, only starch will be
digested.

 The salivary amylase hydrolyses

starch to maltose in an optimum pH
condition (pH 7).
salivary

Starch + Salivaamylase

maltose

 The bolus is forced into the

oesophagus by the process
of swallowing.
During swallowing, the
bolus enters the
oesophagus, a muscular
tube lined with epithelial
cells and muscle glands.
Mucus lubricates the
movement of the bolus
along the oesophageal wall.
Peristalsis squeezes the
bolus down the oesophagus
until it enters the stomach,
which is discussed next.

Digestion in Stomach
Stomach is a thick-walled, sausage-shaped organ
situated below the diaphragm.
It is a muscular sac with a highly folded inner wall.
Gastric glands in the walls of the stomach secrete
gastric juices which contains hydrochloric acid,
and the enzymes pepsin and rennin.

 Functions of hydrochloric acid

prepares on optimum pH range of
acidic medium for the action of the
enzymes pepsin and rennin.
kills bacteria that are present in the
food.
stops the action of salivary amylase.

 Functions of enzymes in gastric juice

the enzyme pepsin hydrolyses protein into
peptone and polypeptides.
Protein + water

pepsin
enzyme

peptone + polypep

the enzyme rennin curdles milk by

catalysing
the conversion of soluble
caseinogen (soluble
protein in milk) to
insoluble casein (insoluble
milk protein).
Caesin is subsequently acted on by the
enzyme rennin
enzyme pepsin.

Caseinogen

Casein

 The semi-solid and partly digested

food is called chyme. It is slowly
released from the stomach into the
duodenum by the constractions of
stomach.

Digestion in Small Intestine

Duodenum
the first part of small intestine
receives chyme from the stomach
receives:
bile produced by the liver, stored nd
released from the gall bladder
pancreatic juice secreted by the
pancreas

 Function of bile
emulsifies fats by breakig up large
globules of fats into small fat droplets in
order to increase the surface area for
the action of the enzyme lipase.
prepares an alkaline medium for the
action of enzymes
neutralises the acids in the stomach
speeds up the digestion of fats

Pancreatic juice is alkaline and contains

three enzymes which are lipase, pancreatic
amylase
and trypsin.

Function of the enzymes pancreatic

juice
Pancreatic amylase completes the
pancreatic to
amylase
digestion
of
starch
maltose.
Starch +
maltose
water

Trypsin digests polypeptides into shorter

trypsin
chains
of
peptides.
peptides
Polypeptides +
water

Lipase completes the digestion of lipids

into fatty acids and glycerol.
Lipid droplets +
water

lipase

glycerol + fatty
acids

Ileum
Functions of enzymes in intestinal
juice
the enzyme erepsin (peptidase)
erepsin
hydrolyses
acids.
Peptides +peptide to aminoamino
acids
water

the enzyme maltase hydrolyses maltose

to glucose.
Maltose +
water

maltase

glucos
e

the digestions of other disaccharides,

each of which is catalysed by its own
sucrase
enzyme.
Sucrose +
glucose +
water
Lactose +
water

fructose
lactase

glucose +
galactose

the enzymes enterokinase

activates the enzyme trypsinogen
in duodenum to enzyme trypsin

 The end of products of the digestion

of carbohydrate, protein and lipid will
be absorbed by the villi in the ileum.
Hence, the 2 processes that occur in
the ileum is digestion and absorption.

The Process of Food Digestion

Digestive System in Ruminants and

Rodents
Ruminants and rodents are like
herbivores that only feed on plants which
contain a high percentage of cellulose, a
polysaccharides which is extremely
insoluble.
obtains most of their energy from the
breakdown cellulose of plant cell walls.
certain parts of alimemtary canal contain
bacteria and protozoa which secrete
cellulase to digest the cellulose.

Ruminants (cows, sheep, goats and

deer)
their stomach have divided into four
chambers
rumen
reticulum
omasum
abomasum

 enables ruminants to carry out

rumination, the process of
regurgitating and rechewing food.
rumen and reticulum are specialised
compartments which harbour large
communities of bacteria and protozoa.
These microorganisms are able to
produce cellulase that digest
cellulose.

Rodents (rabbits and rats)

the digestion of cellulose in rodents
occurs in the caecum.
have a long and large caecum for the
digestion of cellulose.
the bacteria and protozoa secrete
the enzyme cellulase for the
digestion of cellulose.

Comparison of cellulose digestion between

human, ruminants and rodents.