<Digestion and the

Digestive System>
Grade 08
● Digestion
Digestion and the Digestive System
● Digestion

•Digestion is the process by which food is broken down into a

form that can be easily absorbed and utilized by the body.

•There are two types of digestion: mechanical and chemical

● Digestion
Mechanical digestion involves physically crushing food; this
occurs in both the mouth and stomach.

•In the mouth, the teeth crushes and grinds food when we
chew in a process called mastication.
•In the stomach, the back and forth movement of the muscles
of the stomach wall churns (crushes) the food.
Chemical digestion occurs when enzymes break down food
into smaller molecules that can be readily absorbed.

Enzyme Food Digested Active location

Amylase Starch 1. Mouth (salivary
amylase)
2. Small intestine
Protease Protein 1. Stomach (pepsin
and rennin)
2. Small intestine
(trypsin)
Lipase Fats/Oils Small intestine
● Teeth
Digestion and the Digestive System
● Teeth

There are four types of teeth in the mouth of humans: incisor,

canine, premolar, and molar. Each having the same basic
internal structure.
● Teeth
There are 32 teeth
in the mouth of an
adult human. For
every tooth in the
lower jaw there is
one that
corresponds in the
upper jaw.
 ● Teeth
Below the enamel is a hard
bone like material known as the
dentin. Blood vessels and nerve
cells are contained in the pulp
cavity situated at the centre of
the tooth. The pulp cavity is the
living part of the tooth wile the
dentine and enamel are the
non-living structures of the
tooth.
● Self Study
•Read up on the shape and function of each type of teeth.
•Familiarize yourself with the dental formula.
•The two types of teeth and what age they appear at.
•Dentition of other consumers.
•Ways of caring for your teeth.
● Enzymes & Nutrients
Digestion and the Digestive System
● Enzymes & Nutrients

Normally, food is chewed and swallowed. This process is

heavily aided by saliva which is produced and released from
salivary glands.
● Enzymes & Nutrients
Saliva has 2 functions:

•Being a liquid, it softens food allowing it to be rolled into a

ball before being swallowed. Its liquid nature also allows it to
act as a lubricant, reducing the friction between the food
and the esophagus as you swallow.

•It also contains a chemical known as an enzyme that breaks

down food during chemical digestion.
● Enzymes & Nutrients
•Enzymes are specialized proteins which change complex
food substances into simpler chemicals. They speed up
chemical reactions in the body and are known as biological
catalysts.

•Put simply, enzymes are chemicals which act to speed up

chemical reactions.
● Enzymes & Nutrients

The bulk of the food that enters the digestive system is from
the three main food groups: Carbohydrates, Proteins, and
Fats.

starch is a type of carbohydrate**

● Enzymes & Nutrients

Starch is a chain of
identical sugar molecules.
It is broken down by the Sugar
enzyme amylase back into molecule
sugar; this sugar is called
glucose.
● Enzymes & Nutrients

Proteins are chains of

different amino acids (over
20 diff kinds). Protein is
broken down by the
Amino acids
enzyme protease back into
amino acids.
● Enzymes & Nutrients
Fats/lipids are made up of
glycerol phosphate Fatty acid
attached to three fatty
acid molecules. They are Glycerol
phosphate
broken down by the
enzyme lipase back into
glycerol phosphate and
fatty acid molecules. Fatty acid

Glycerol
phosphate
● The Digestive System
Digestion and the Digestive System
● The Digestive System

The digestive system is essentially a long tube running from

the mouth to the anus called the alimentary canal or gut. The
main organs of the digestive system are the mouth,
esophagus, stomach, small intestine, large intestine, pancreas,
and liver.
● The Digestive System
The digestion of food involves the following processes:

•Ingestion is the act of taking food into the mouth.

•Digestion is the process where food is mechanically or

chemically broken down into nutrient molecules that can be
absorbed by the body.
● The Digestive System
…
•Absorption is the process where nutrient molecules are
diffused through the walls of the small intestine into the
bloodstream.

•Assimilation is the process where cells use the absorbed

nutrient molecules in chemical processes.

•Egestion is the process where faeces are passed out of the

body through the anus.
● Sections of the
Alimentary Canal
Digestion and the Digestive System
 liver
stomach

pancreas

large
intestine small
intestine
● Sections of the Alimentary Canal
Mouth

•Digestion begins in the mouth. The act of taking food into

the mouth is called ingestion. Mastication occurs in the
mouth, crushing and combining food with saliva secreted
from the salivary glands under the tongue. The tongue is
used to roll and mix chewed food and saliva into a small ball
called a bolus which makes it easier to be swallowed.

•A bolus is a ball of food mixed with saliva.

● Sections of the Alimentary Canal
● Sections of the Alimentary Canal
Epiglottis

It is important that food does not enter the trachea(windpipe)

as this will lead to blockage. To prevent this, there is a
specialised tissue called the epiglottis that acts as a flap to
close the trachea when we swallow.
● Sections of the Alimentary Canal
● Sections of the Alimentary Canal
Esophagus/gullet

From the throat, food travels down a muscular tube in the

chest called the esophagus. Its walls contract behind the food
and relax in front of it creating a wavelike motion called
peristalsis that pushes the food down to the stomach.
● Sections of the Alimentary Canal
● Sections of the Alimentary Canal
Stomach

•The stomach is an enlarged portion of the alimentary canal

that regulates the entrance and exit of food using ring
muscles called sphincters. Food in the stomach is churned
and mixed with gastric juices (hydrochloric acid (HCl),
rennin(milk protein), and pepsin) for about 3hrs, eventually
becoming a liquid substance called chyme that is released
through the pyloric sphincter into the small intestine.
● Sections of the Alimentary Canal
Stomach

•Churning of food in the stomach is the second stage of

mechanical digestion.

•Chemical digestion occurs in the stomach where pepsin

starts to breakdown protein molecules. Rennin also works on
any milk protein that was consumed.
● Sections of the Alimentary Canal
Stomach

•Different enzymes have specific environments in which they

work best. The digestive enzymes in the stomach need an
acidic environment to work well; this is provided by the
hydrochloric acid present in gastric juice.

•Hydrochloric acid also kills any germs that may enter the
stomach with the food.
● The Digestive System
● Sections of the Alimentary Canal
Small intestine

•The small intestine is about 7m

long and has an upper and a
lower section called the
duodenum and the ileum
respectively.
 ● Sections of the Alimentary Canal
Small intestine: duodenum

•Most digestion occurs in the duodenum and

is facilitated by secretions from the gall
bladder and pancreas.

•Bile is a highly alkaline fluid produced by the

liver and stored in the gall bladder. When Liver
released into the duodenum it neutralizes the
acidic chyme.
Gall
bladder
● Sections of the Alimentary Canal
Pancreatic juice secreted from the pancreas into the
duodenum contains 3 enzymes:

•Trypsin (protease) continues the digestion of protein into

amino acids.
•Amylase continues the digestion of starch which began in the
mouth into glucose.
•Lipase begins the digestion of fats and oils into fatty acids
and glycerol.
● Sections of the Alimentary Canal
● Sections of the Alimentary Canal
Small intestine: ileum

Circular creases
•The ileum has
with villi
fingerlike projections
protruding from its
inner walls known as
villi (plural) that serve
to increase the surface
area present.
● Sections of the Alimentary Canal
Small intestine: ileum

•These are necessary as the ileum is where the nutrients

digested by the duodenum are absorbed into the blood.
More surface area means more digested nutrients are
absorbed through the wall of the ileum into the blood,
where they are then transported to the cells around the
body.
● Sections of the Alimentary Canal
Small intestine: ileum

•The outer layer of a villus (singular) is only one cell layer

thick, allowing for easy and quick absorption of nutrients.

•It is made up of goblet cells that produce mucus. Inside a

villus are a network of blood vessels and a central lymph
vessel called the lacteal, which are what absorb and
transport the nutrients to body cells.
● Sections of the Alimentary Canal
Small intestine: ileum

•Anything in the ileum that is water soluble (able to be

dissolved in water), such as water-soluble vitamins, minerals,
water, glucose and amino acids, is absorbed into the blood
capillaries.
•Fat-soluble products, such as fatty acids, glycerol and
fat-soluble vitamins, are absorbed into the lacteal and then
transported to the liver. The liver either stores these
digested molecules or converts some of them into other
substances needed by the body.
 mucus cell

epithelial cell capillary system

Lymphatic Circulation Blood Circulation

lacteal
venule
arteriole
● Sections of the Alimentary Canal
**Assimilation

•Glucose used during respiration to provide energy for the

activities of the body.
•Amino acids used to build protein which is used for the
growth and repair of the body’s tissues.

The liver also has a major role in the assimilation of

nutrients. It breaks down excess glucose and amino acids
found in the blood to more useful substances.
● Sections of the Alimentary Canal
Large intestine

•What is left after digestion and

absorption then moves to the
large intestine which is made of
the colon and rectum.
 ● Sections of the Alimentary Canal
Large intestine: colon

•Undigested food material such as

dead cells, fibre, mucus and
bacteria, and water left over from
the small intestine moves into the
colon. They remain here for about
36hrs having salts and water
absorbed from them into the body
leaving a partial liquid called faeces.
● Sections of the Alimentary Canal
Large intestine: colon

•Faeces is moved to
the rectum and
expelled by the
process of egestion
through the anus.
● Sections of the Alimentary Canal

A
B E
C F

D
A
B D

C
F