Lecture 23: DIGESTION OF FOOD MOLECULES Flashcards
What are the main macronutrients contributing to energy production in the body?
Carbohydrates, proteins and fats
What are carbohydrates hydrolysed to?
Monosacchrides
What are proteins hydrolysed to?
Amino acids
What are nucleic acids hydrolysed to?
Nucleotides
What is fat hydrolysed to?
FFA’s (free fatty acids), MAG (monoacylglycerol) and cholesterol
What is in the salivary glands?
Saliva (neutral pH) which contains mucous and amylase which starts the digestion of carbohydrates
What happens in the stomach?
Storing and mixing of food with gastric juices, slowly releases chyme into the intestine
What does the stomach secrete?
Acid from chief cells (0.1 M HCl) = denaturing, pepsinogen > pepsin > protein digestion and mucous layer (protective
What is the pH of the pancreas?
Slightly alkaline pH 7
What does the pancreas secrete?
Most of the digestive enzymes including, amylase, lipase, and several proteases
What happens in the liver?
Synthesis of bile salts/acids (stored in gall bladder) which is important for fat digestion
What happens in the small intestine?
The final phase of digestion and absorption
What is the first main phase of digestion?
Hydrolysis of bonds connecting monomer units in food macromolecules
What bonds are hydrolysed in carbohydrates?
Glycosidic bonds - starch > disaccharides
What bonds are hydrolysed in proteins?
Peptide bonds
What bonds are hydrolysed in fats?
Triacylglycerol ester bonds
What is the second phase of digestion?
Absorption of products from the gastrointestinal tract into the body
What % of energy intake do carbohydrates provide?
40-50%
What is in carbohydrates?
Starch, simple sugars and fibre
What is starch made of?
Amylose and amylopectin
What are some simple sugars?
Sucrose, lactose, fructose and glucose
What is fibre?
Cellulose which is indigestible by most mammals
What is the main component of plant starch?
Amylopectin
What is amylopectin made up of?
Polymers of up to 1 million glucose units
What is maltose present in?
Honey
What is the glycosidic linkage in maltose?
Alpha (1,4)
What is sucrose hydrolysed to?
Glucose and fructose
What are cellobiose and lactose?
Enantiomers of one another
Where can the functional group of monosaccharides be?
In either of two orientations
What is the convention for numbering carbon atoms?
Clockwise to the oxygen is C1
What is cellobiose?
A repeating disaccharide unit in cellulose
What do mammals not have?
An enzyme that can hydrolyse the beta (1,4) glycosidic bonds in cellulose
What is lactose present in?
Milk
What don’t some people have?
The lactase enzyme and are unable to hydrolyse lactose
What are the enzymes involved in carbohydrate digestion?
Salivary amylase, pancreatic amylase, maltase, lactase, sucrase and isomaltase
What is the source of salivary amylase?
Salivary glands
What is the substrate for salivary amylase?
Starch
Where is the site of action for salivary amylase?
Mouth
What is the source of pancreatic amylase?
Pancreas
What is the substrate for pancreatic amylase?
Starch
Where is the site of action of pancreatic amylase?
Small intestine
What is the source of maltase?
Small intestine
What is the substrate of maltase?
Maltose
What is the site of action of maltase?
Small intestine