Topic 4.

1 Intake of food & processes

The stages of that convert food substances
Nutrition
N in utrition
into living matter

Mammals Feeding/In
gestion

Absorpti
on
Assimilation

stion
Dige Egestion

Nutrition
Feeding on ready-made Digestion
complex organic matter:
Holozoic nutrition
Well developed organ
Physical Chemical
system for nutrition in
Mechanica
mammals (digestive
breakdown
l Enzymatic
system)
food into sm
of hydrolysis of
Consists of the: aller food
particles
Alimentary canal (gut) substances
Associated glands

A journey through the gut: Overview A journey through the gut:

The layers of the gut: Pg 5
The muscular wall is
made up of
Outer longitudinal
muscles
Inner circular muscles

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 A journey through the gut: A journey through the gut:
The mouth & buccal cavity The teeth
Food is chewed & Mastication: The mechanical
mixed with saliva process of breaking up food
Jaws: into small particles by the
Upper jaw is fixed chewing action of the teeth
Lower jaw is movable 4 types:
• Incisors
• Canines
• Premolars
• Molars

A journey through the gut: A journey through the gut:

The mouth & buccal cavity The mouth & buccal cavity
Why is mastication important? Saliva:
Mixes food with saliva Water & mucin softens food, lubricates food
Food is more easily swallowed Saliva contains salivary amylase
Increases surface area for enzyme action Starch Maltose
Saliva: Secreted by the Salivary Amylase

salivary glands Slightly alkaline:

• Provides correct pH for amylase to work
• Helps to prevent tooth decay

A journey through the gut: A journey through the gut:

The mouth & buccal cavity
Tongue
Mixes food with saliva
Rolls food into a bolus (pleural: boli)
Pushes food down into pharynx
Has sense cells (taste buds)
The pharynx
Leads from the mouth to the:
Oesophagus
Trachea (windpipe) by the
larynx (voice box)
Junction of respiratory and
digestive passages: common
passage for food & air
Think about it:
Does food go into the lungs
when we swallow?

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Breathing & Swallowing Oesophagus
Also known as the gullet
A narrow, muscular tube
Extends from the pharynx
through the thorax &
diaphragm to join the
stomach
Carries food to the stomach
Does food drop into the
stomach due to gravity?

A journey through the gut: A journey through the gut:

Peristalsis Peristalsis
The muscle layers cause rhythmic, The involuntary
wave-like contractions called peristalsis rhythmic waves of
which move food along the gut muscular contractions
which pass along the
gut to move the food
along it
The process is
initiated by the
presence of food

A journey through the gut: A journey through the gut:

Oesophagus Stomach
Is it true that the Stores food and digests
oesophagus does not protein
secrete anything? A distensible, muscular
Wall produces mucin to bag with thick & well-
lubricate food during
developed muscular walls
peristalsis
Salivary amylase continues
Very powerful muscular
to digest starch contractions (churning)
Mixes food with gastric juice
to form chyme

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Stomach Stomach: Hydrochloric acid
Gastric glands secrete Provides acidic
gastric juice: medium (pH 2) for
Hydrochloric acid gastric enzymes to
Gastric enzymes function
Mucin Stops the action of
salivary amylase
Changes the
inactive forms of
gastric enzymes to
active forms

A journey through the gut: A journey through the gut:

Stomach: Hydrochloric acid Stomach: Enzymes
Denatures proteins, unfolding the
Prorennin Pepsinogen
polypeptide chains, exposing more
peptide bonds to enzyme action HCl HCl
Kills some bacteria / germs
Rennin Pepsin

Soluble Insoluble Proteins Polypeptides

milk milk
Protein Proteins
(Caseinogen) (Casein)
Can remain in
stomach long enough

A journey through the gut: A journey through the gut:

Why doesn’t the stomach digest itself? Stomach
Proteases are produced in inactive
The food normally remains in the
forms
stomach for about 3 to 4 hours.
Enzymes & acid are produced by
The partly digested food becomes
different cells
liquefied, forming chyme
Mucus protects the stomach wall from
After 1 or 2 hours, the pyloric sphincter
enzyme action and corrosiveness of the
relaxes and opens at intervals to let the
acid
chyme into the duodenum

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 A journey through the gut: A journey through the gut:
Stomach: Pyloric sphincter Small Intestine
Muscular valve where stomach joins the About 6 metres long!
small intestine Consists of
U-shaped duodenum (1st part)
Jejunum
ileum (very coiled)
Liver & pancreas discharge
secretions into the duodenum
The intestinal wall also
secretes intestinal juice

A journey through the gut: A journey through the gut:

Associated Gland: Liver Associated Gland: Pancreas
Largest gland in the body Produces pancreatic juice
Three blood vessels: Contains digestive enzymes
Hepatic portal vein, Hepatic vein, Hepatic artery Produces insulin (hormone)
Control of blood sugar levels
Liver cells secrete bile: Utilization of carbohydrates
Bile salts and pigments
Greenish-yellow colour
Alkaline
Stored in gall bladder

A journey through the gut: A journey through the gut:

Liver & Pancreas Duodenum

The chyme stimulates
Liver & The intestinal glands to secrete intestinal juice
pancreas The pancreas to secrete pancreatic juice
discharge The gall bladder to release bile
their
All 3 fluids are alkaline:
secretions via
Neutralize chyme
the bile duct
(acidic)
& pancreatic
duct Provide suitable
respectively alkaline medium
for enzyme action

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Small Intestine SI: Carbohydrate digestion
Intestinal
Nutrients Liver Pancreas
glands Starch Maltose Glucose
Maltase Pancreatic Maltase
Amylase
Carbohydrates - Amylase Lactase
Sucrase Lactose Glucose Galactose
Lactase
Enterokinase
Proteins - Trypsin
Erepsin
Sucrose Glucose Fructose
Fats Bile Lipase Lipase Sucrase

A journey through the gut: A journey through the gut:

SI: Protein digestion SI: Fat digestion
Fats
Protein
Emulsification Bile
Trypsinogen Trypsin
Enterokinase Fat globules
Peptides/peptones Pancreatic &
Intestinal
Erepsin Lipase

Amino Acids Fatty

Acids Glycerol

So far, what have we learnt?