ACTIVITY TITLE: PROCESS OF DIGESTION

Learning Objective: The learners should be able to explain ingestion, absorption, assimilation,
and excretion.

Digestion is a chemical and mechanical process in which large insoluble molecules are broken
down into small soluble molecules. It is a process by which solid food is dissolved to make a
solution.
The chemicals involved in this process are called enzymes. Starch and carbohydrates are broken
down into glucose, proteins to amino acids, and fats to glycerol and fatty acids.

Ingestion

Ingestion is the taking of food in the body through the mouth. The food is digested into smaller
particles with the help of saliva, which is secreted by the salivary glands.

1. The chewed food is rolled into bolus to prepare it for swallowing.

2. The food enters the esophagus through peristalsis and enters the
stomach. Peristalsis is the wave-like movement of the muscles.
3. It is mixed with the gastric juice produced by gastric glands contained in the lining of the
stomach. Gastric juice contains dilute hydrochloric acid, digestive enzymes, pepsin, and
rennin.
4. The contents become semi-fluid called chime and then enter the small intestine.
5. The contents are further digested in the small intestine by several enzymes.

Absorption is the movement of molecules from the gastrointestinal tract to the circulatory
system, particularly the blood stream and the lymphatic system.

*Glucose, amino acids, fatty acids, and glycerol are the final products of digestion and
are absorbed in the small intestine.
*The blood capillaries of the villus absorb simple sugars and amino acids while
the lacteal absorbs fatty acids and glycerol. In the lacteal, fatty acids and glycerol are
converted into lipids and then they move into the lymphatic system.

Assimilation and Excretion

Assimilation is the use of absorbed food for metabolic purposes of the body.

Absorbed sugars, vitamins, and minerals are brought to the liver by the blood stream and
converts these materials into substances that will be used by different cells of the body.

Excretion is the process where the waste products of metabolism, toxic products, and other
non-essential materials are eliminated in the body. It is eliminated through the skin, lungs, and
kidneys.

The body excretes three main waste materials. These are the urea, carbon dioxide, and water.
Some common wastes products excreted are urine and sweat.

Questions: Fill in the blank.

 Food follows the following steps when it is digested: ________, ________, _________,
and________.
 __________ is a chemical and mechanical process in which large insoluble molecules
are broken down into small soluble molecules.
 __________is the movement of molecules from the gastrointestinal tract to the
circulatory system, particularly the blood stream and the lymphatic system.
 __________ is the use of absorbed food for metabolic purposes of the body.
 __________ is the process where the waste products of metabolism, toxic products, and
other non-essential materials are eliminated in the body.