Structures and

Functions of the
Digestive System
DIGESTION- the breakdown
of organic compounds into
their simple forms for use by
the cells. Digestion is the
chief function of the digestive
system. It breaks down food
mechanically and chemically.
Try to imagine what happens to a
hamburger when eaten. Remember
that ground meat is mostly protein,
mayonnaise is mostly fat, and the
bun is mostly carbohydrate. The
journey of the food starts from the
mouth down to the anus takes
about 18-20 hours.
 Two Distinct
Processes Involve
in the
DIGESTION
 Mouth Indigestion

Esophagus
Digestion
Liver
Stomach
Gall Bladder
Small Intestine
Large
Villi Absorption
Intestine
Blood Vessel Assimilation
Appendix
Rectum
Anus Egestion
 Parts and
Processes of the
Digestive System
1. INGESTION is the first process
that happens in digestive system. It
is the journey of taking in food or
any substance into the body
through the mouth. The journey of
food starts when a bit of hamburger
enters your mouth.
2. DIGESTION is the second
process involved in digestive system.
It is the process that involves break
down of large food molecules into
smaller molecules for easy
absorption of the cells. Both
chemical and mechanical digestions
begin immediately in the mouth.
While the food is in the mouth, the teeth
cut, crush, and break it apart into tiny
pieces while the tongue helps mix food
with saliva secreted by the salivary
glands forming into a moist ball called
bolus so it can be easily swallowed. This
process is known as mastication or
chewing considered as a mechanical
digestion, which is the initial stage of
digestion.
The saliva contains salivary amylase,
the enzyme that breaks down starch into
smaller carbohydrate. Then, the bolus
passes from the mouth to the esophagus
- a tube that attaches the mouth to the
stomach. A series of wave-like muscle
contractions known as peristalsis push
and transport foods and liquids in small
sections to the stomach
The stomach is a J-shaped, bag-
like muscular organ that can hold
approximately one liter of fluid
and food. The primary function of
the stomach is to store food,
which turns to chyme after being
acted on by the stomach acid.
Chyme is a semifluid material
formed from bolus that is acted upon
by the gastric juices secreted by the
stomach. The walls of the stomach
have special cells that secrete gastric
juices like hydrochloric acid and
pepsin that begin the chemical
breakdown of proteins.
Let us take a short detour into
the three organs that are part
of the digestive system and
helps in secretion of essential
substances. These organs are
the liver, the pancreas and the
gall bladder.
The liver produces bile, a green
fluid that turns large fat droplets
into smaller ones and stores
them in the gall bladder. When
necessary, bile gets into the
small intestine and helps in the
digestion of fat.
The pancreas makes three different
kinds of enzymes namely amylase,
peptidase, and lipase released
through a pancreatic duct that aid in
the digestion of all three organic
compounds such as carbohydrates,
proteins, and fats respectively. The
process takes about half of a liter of
digestive juices each day.
The liver is the biggest organ
inside the body with a mass of
about two kilograms. Gall
bladder - a small pear-shaped
sac that can hold about 50ml of
bile. The pancreas is a small
organ found below the stomach.
Organic compounds such as
carbohydrates, proteins, and fats are
specifically broken down with the aid of
different enzymes. Carbohydrates are
broken down into sugars by enzymes
like amylase, maltase and lactase.
Proteins are broken down into amino
acids by enzymes like trypsin and
peptidase. Fats are broken down into
fatty acids by the enzyme lipase.
After about four hours, the stomach
pushes food into the small intestines.
The production and release of
enzymes and acids in the digestive
system is called secretion. It aids in
the breaking down of complex food
molecules into their chemical
building blocks.
The jejunum is the second part
of the small intestine that is 2.5
cm in length. Its wall works for
absorption through enterocytes
or columnar cells of small
nutrient particles which have
been previously digested by the
enzymes in the duodenum.
3. Absorption is the third process that
happens in the digestive system. It
occurs mostly in the small intestine
where several digestive juices, pancreatic
juice, and bile aid in the chemical
digestion of food. Absorption is the
process of passing the soluble food
molecules in the wall of the small
intestine through the villi.
Villi – the tiny, finger-like
projections from the epithelial lining
of the intestinal wall. Each villus
contains blood capillaries that enable
it to absorb water, glucose, amino
acids, vitamins, minerals, and fatty
acids. It also increases the amount of
surface area available for the
absorption of nutrients.
4. Assimilation is the fourth
process that occurs in the digestive
system. It is the movement of
digested food
nutrients into the blood vessels of
the small intestine through
diffusion and use of nutrients into
the body cells through the
Microvilli – microscopic cellular
membrane projections that serves to
expand the surface area for diffusion and
also to lessen any increase in volume. The
third part of the small intestine is the
ileum which is about 3.5 meters in
length. Its main function is the
assimilation (absorption) of B12 and the
re-assimilation (reabsorption) of
conjugated bile salts.
The Large intestine is divided
into caecum, ascending colon,
transverse colon, descending
colon, and sigmoid colon. This is
where reabsorption of liquid,
electrolytes and some vitamins
from the undigested food takes
place.
It secretes mucus to aid in the
formation of feces and maintains
alkaline conditions. This is the
last segment of the
gastrointestinal tract that
completes absorption and
compacts waste.
5. Egestion is the last process
that occurs in the digestive
system. It is the release
of undigested food collected in
the rectum called feces and
pushed out of the body
through the anus by defecation.
Name the
enzymes
secreted by
the organs
identified from
box #1, #3 and
#4.
 • How ingestion, absorption,
assimilation and excretion takes
place in the interaction of
Digestive system with the
circulatory, respiratory and
excretory system
1. In what process do animals
take in food that provides energy
and nutrients?
A. assimilation
B. digestion
C. excretion
D. ingestion
2. What is the process of turning
food into smaller molecules with
the aid of enzymes?
A. churning
B. mastication
C. chemical digestion
D. mechanical digestion
3. Where does the final stage
in digestion of food happen?
A. liver
B. mouth
C. small intestine
D. large intestine
4. What type of enzyme
present in saliva helps break
down starch?
A. amylase
B. lactase
C. lipase
D. maltase
5. What organ system is responsible
for breaking down of large molecules
into smaller molecules and
absorption of organic compounds
needed by the body?
A. circulatory system
B. digestive system
C. nervous system
D. respiratory system
6. What is the main function of
the large intestine?
A. It breaks down hemoglobin.
B. It secretes digestive enzymes.
C. It regulates the release of bile.
D. It reabsorbs water from
chyme.
7. What do you call the wavelike
contraction of the smooth muscles of
digestive tract pushes food in small
sections through the gastro-intestinal
tube?
A. mixing movement
B. parietal movement
C. contractile movement
D. peristaltic movement
8. What is the term for the food that
is chewed and mixed with saliva that
turns into a moist ball?
A. bolus
B. chyme
C. feces
D. gastric juice
9. Which organ stores bile and
pumps it into duodenum?
A. appendix
B. colon
C. gall bladder
D. pancreas
10. What is the most essential function of
the intestinal villi?
A. pushes the fecal matter into the rectum
B. increases surface area for nutrient
absorption
C. secretes serous fluid to decrease friction
among the organs
D. secretes mucous to facilitate the
movement of chyme via the alimentary
canal
11. Which of the following shows the correct
sequence of the processes involved in the human
digestive system?
A. assimilation, absorption, ingestion, digestion,
and egestion
B. digestion, ingestion, assimilation, egestion and
absorption
C. egestion, absorption, digestion, assimilation
and ingestion
D. ingestion, digestion, absorption, assimilation
and egestion
12. Which of these substances is
an enzyme that digests protein in
the stomach?
A. amylase
B. hydrochloric acid
C. pepsin
D. saliva
13. Which tiny structures line the
internal surface of the small intestine
to increase its surface area for the
absorption of nutrients?
A. bile ducts
B. cilia
C. salivary glands
D. villi
14. Which of the following
is produced by the liver?
A. amylase
B. bile
C. pepsin
D. renin
15. What is the result of
chemical digestion of
carbohydrates?
A. amino acid
B. bile
C. fatty acids
D. simple sugars
16. Which of the following is the correct order
of the digestive tract?
A. mouth → rectum → esophagus → rectum
→ anus → small intestine→ large intestine
B. mouth → stomach → esophagus → rectum
→ anus → small intestine→ large intestine
C. mouth → esophagus → stomach → small
intestine → large intestine→ rectum → anus
D. mouth → esophagus → stomach → small
intestine → anus→ large intestine → rectum
17. What will happen to the undigested
food that pass through the digestive tract?
A. goes to the pancreas to await disposal
B. enters to the stomach and await
disposal
C. goes to small intestine and await
disposal
D. moves down to the large intestine and
await disposal
18. How do nutrients from digested food
reach the blood?
A. by passing through the esophagus into the
blood
B. by being absorbed into the blood through
the blood vessels
C. by being absorbed into the blood through
the walls of the lungs
D. by passing through the small intestine
into the large intestine, then into the blood
Answers Key
1.D 11. C
2.C 12. D
3.C 13. B
4.A 14. D
5.B 15. D
6.D 16. C
7.D 17. D
8.A 18. B
9.C
10.D
What I Know Assessment:
1. D 6. C 11. B 1. D 6. C 11. D
2. A 7. B 12. D 2. A 7. B 12. C
3. C 8. D 13. A 3. D 8. C 13. C
4. C 9. D 14. A 4. A 9. D 14. B
5. A 10. D 15. C 5. D 10. B 15. D