Digestive system key terms Flashcards

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1
Q

Starch

A

A plant carbohydrate used to store energy

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2
Q

Glycogen

A

An animal carbohydrate used to store energy

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3
Q

Macromolecules

A

They are large molecules, necessary for life, that are built from smaller organic molecules

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4
Q

Disaccharide

A

A sugar formed by the joining of two monosaccharide subunits

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5
Q

Polysaccharide

A

A carbohydrate composed of many single sugar subunits

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6
Q

Benedict’s test

A

Used to test for sugars. For a positive test the resulting colour must be green to an orangish red.

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7
Q

Iodine test

A

Used to test for starch. Wait for it to turn to a bluish black for a positive test.

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8
Q

Lipids

A

They are made up of three fatty acids and one glycerol. They are for insulation and energy storage. They also make up cell walls. They are also called triglycerides.

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9
Q

Fatty acid and glycerol

A

This is what a lipid is made up of

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10
Q

Cellulose

A

A plant polysaccharide that makes up plant cell walls

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11
Q

Saturated fats

A

They are animal based fats. They are solid at room temperature and contains as many h atoms as possible.

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12
Q

Unsaturated fats

A

They are plant based oils. They are liquid at room temperature. They lack some h atoms and are naturally healthier that saturated fats.

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13
Q

Triglycerides

A

A lipid composed of glycerol and three fatty acids

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14
Q

Translucence test

A

This is to test for fats. You need to use brown paper and wait for 15 minutes and see if there’s a translucent mark. If there is than that is a solid fat.

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15
Q

Protein

A

Assemble from smaller subunits called amino acids. They function as structural support, storage, transport,
cellular communications, movement, defence against foreign substances. Their function is determined by their shape and their shape can become denatured by heat.

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16
Q

Amino acid

A

A chemical that contains nitrogen; can be linked together to form proteins.

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17
Q

Biuret test

A

This is a test for proteins. For a positive test you will have to wait for it to turn into a purple colour.

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18
Q

Vitamins/Coenzymes

A

An organic molecule synthesized from a vitamin that helps an enzyme to combine with a substrate molecule.

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19
Q

Mineral/Cofactor

A

An inorganic ion that helps an enzyme combine with a substrate molecule.

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20
Q

Pancreatic amylase

A

It’s an enzyme made by your pancreas that helps your body break down carbohydrates

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21
Q

Fat soluble

A

A vitamin that can dissolve in fats and oils

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22
Q

Water soluble

A

A vitamin that can dissolve in water

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23
Q

Peptidases

A

Enzymes that catalyze the hydrolysis of peptides or peptones to amino acids

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24
Q

Carbohydrase

A

The name of a set of enzymes that catalyze 5 types of reactions, turning carbohydrates into simple sugars

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25
Q

Enzymes

A

A protein catalyst that allows reactions to occur faster by lowering the amount of energy needed for it to occur

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26
Q

Catalyst

A

A chemical that speeds up a reaction without being used up

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27
Q

Activation energy

A

the minimum amount of energy that is required to activate atoms or molecules to a condition in which they can undergo chemical transformation or physical transport

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28
Q

Catabolism

A

It’s what happens when you digest food and the molecules break down in the body for use as energy. Large, complex molecules in the body are broken down into smaller, simple ones.

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29
Q

Anabolism

A

In this process, small, simple molecules are built up into larger, more complex ones

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30
Q

Substrate

A

A molecule that is changed when it fits into an enzyme

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31
Q

Active site

A

the area of the enzyme that fits around the substrate(s)

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32
Q

Competitive inhibitor

A

A molecule with a shape complementary to a specific enzyme that competes with the substrate for access to the active site of the enzyme and blocks chemical reactions.

33
Q

Homeostasis

A

The process by which a constant internal environment is maintained despite changes in the environment

34
Q

Feedback inhibition

A

The inhibition of an enzyme in a metabolic pathway by the final product of that pathway

35
Q

Ingestion

A

The consumption of a substance by an organism

36
Q

Physical digestion

A

When peristalsis /churning pushes food downward and around in stomach

37
Q

Chemical digestion

A

involves the secretions of enzymes throughout your digestive tract. These enzymes break the chemical bonds that hold food particles together. This allows food to be broken down into small, digestible parts.

38
Q

Absorption

A

The process of taking nutrients from the digestive system into the blood so they can be used in the body.

39
Q

Egestion

A

The act of excreting unusable or undigested material from a cell

40
Q

Mastication

A

The mechanical grinding of food into smaller pieces by teeth; it is essentially a technical word for “chewing”.

41
Q

Saliva

A

It is secreted by the three salivary glands in your mouth. It also lubricates the mouth to assist in swallowing and dissolves the food which gives you taste.

42
Q

Salivary glands

A

They produce saliva (spit) and empty it into your mouth through ducts, or small openings.

43
Q

Salivary amylase

A

An enzyme that Breaks down starch into small molecules like, sugars

44
Q

Bolus

A

Food that has been chewed and mixed in the mouth with saliva.

45
Q

Epiglottis

A

A structure that covers the glottis (opening of the trachea) during swallowing.

46
Q

Pharynx

A

A hollow tube that starts behind the nose, goes down the neck, and ends at the top of the trachea and esophagus

47
Q

Esophagus

A

the hollow, muscular tube that passes food and liquid from your throat to your stomach.

48
Q

Peristalsis

A

Rhythmic wavelike contractions of muscle that move food along the gastrointestinal tract

49
Q

Stomach

A

A J-shaped organ that digests food

50
Q

Cardiac sphincter-LES

A

A thin ring of muscle that helps to prevent stomach contents from going back up into the esophagus.

51
Q

Pyloric sphincter

A

A kind of gateway between the stomach and the small intestine. It allows the contents of the stomach to pass into the small intestine. It also prevents partially digested food and digestive juices from reentering the stomach.

52
Q

Gastric glands

A

They are glands in the lining of the stomach that play an essential role in secreting gastric juice comprising HCl, pepsin and prorennin.

53
Q

Lipase

A

A lipid digesting enzyme

54
Q

Hydrochloric acid

A

It is a component of the gastric acid in the digestive systems of most animal species,

55
Q

Pepsin/Pepsinogen

A

a protein-digesting enzyme produced in the stomach

56
Q

Mucous

A

The moist, inner lining of some organs and body cavities

57
Q

Chyme

A

A thick semifluid mass of partially digested food and digestive secretions that is formed in the stomach and intestine during digestion.

58
Q

Ulcers

A

A break on the skin, in the lining of an organ, or on the surface of a tissue

59
Q

Small intestine

A

It receives food from the stomach and sends it on to the large intestine, or colon.

60
Q

Duodenum

A

The first segment of the small intestine

61
Q

Pancreas

A

An abdominal organ located behind the stomach and is responsible for regulating blood sugar levels.

62
Q

Buffer

A

A substance capable of neutralizing acids and bases, thus maintaining the original pH of the solution

63
Q

Trypsinogen / trypsin

A

A protein digesting enzyme

64
Q

Chymotrypsinogen /
chymotrypsin

A

a digestive enzyme component of pancreatic juice acting in the duodenum, where it performs proteolysis, the breakdown of proteins and polypeptides.

65
Q

Liver

A

It regulates most chemical levels in the blood and excretes a product called bile. This helps carry away waste products from the liver

66
Q

Bile

A

A fluid that is made and released by the liver and stored in the gallbladder. Bile helps with digestion. It breaks down fats into fatty acids, which can be taken into the body by the digestive tract.

67
Q

Gallbladder

A

A small, pear-shaped organ located under your liver that stores and releases bile

68
Q

Gallstones

A

Solid material that forms in the gallbladder or common bile duct. Gallstones are made of cholesterol or other substances found in the gallbladder.

69
Q

Microvilli

A

Microscopic, fingerlike projections of the cell membrane

70
Q

Villi

A

Small fingerlike projections that extend into the small intestine to increase surface area for absorption

71
Q

Large intestine

A

The long, tube-like organ that is connected to the small intestine at one end and the anus at the other. The primary function of this organ is to finish absorption of nutrients and water, synthesize certain vitamins, form feces, and eliminate feces from the body.

72
Q

Bowel

A

The long, tube-shaped organ in the abdomen that completes the process of digestion. Also called intestine.

73
Q

Appendix

A

A small, fingerlike pouch that sticks out from the cecum.

74
Q

Appendicitis

A

A condition in which the appendix becomes inflamed and filled with pus, a fluid made up of dead cells and inflammatory tissue that often results from an infection.

75
Q

Fibre

A

Tissue made of long threadlike cells

76
Q

Rectum

A

The last several inches of the large intestine closest to the anus. It’s the area where a person holds stool before excreting it from the body.

77
Q

Anus

A

The opening of the rectum (last part of the large intestine) to the outside of the body

78
Q

Constipation

A

a bowel dysfunction that makes bowel movements infrequent or hard to pass

79
Q

Diarrhea

A

pertains to the abnormally frequent fecal evacuations