Digestion Flashcards
The two main ways of breaking down food are …
Mechanically breaking down food e.g chewing with teeth
Chemically breaking down food e.g enzymes are biological catalysts, this means they speed up the rate of chemical reactions in the body
Digestion starts in the mouth, what happens?
The teeth have a good chew and mix the food with the saliva. Saliva contains an enzyme, called amylase, that breaks down the carbohydrates.
The second process of the digestive system is the …
Oesophagus links the mouth to the stomach
What is the pH in the stomach?
Acid from HCl
What is the pH in bile?
Alkaline
Where is bile made?
Liver
What does the liver do?
Make bile
What does bile do?
Breaks fats into tiny droplets (emulsification)
It is alkaline to give the right pH for enzymes in the small bowel
What does the pancreas do?
It produces 3 enzymes
Protease
Lipase
Carbohydrase
What happens in the stomach?
Mechanical
Enzymes
Acid -HCl - kills harmful bacteria and makes the right pH for enzymes in the stomach
What happens in the small intestine?
More enzymes
Food is absorbed into the blood stream
What happens in the large intestine?
Water is absorbed
What is in the rectum?
Undigested food (faeces)
What happens after absorption?
Small molecules pass through the gut into the blood. Then carried around the blood to cells
