The digestive system consists of the parts of the body, working together to convert food and liquids into

the building blocks and fuel the body needs. Food must be digested so that the nutrients in the food can be absorbed into the bloodstream and used for energy, growth and body functioning. The digestive system begins in the MOUTH and ends in the ANUS.

The digestive system performs three functions. It:

Breaks down the food into smaller substances that can be used by the body Carries these substances in the body Removes solid and liquid waste from the body Organs involved in the process of digestion
Label the following diagram using the following words: gall bladder, anus, appendix, pancreas, liver, large intestine, rectum, stomach, oesophagus, mouth, small intestine.

Ms R. Balzan (Home Economics Form 4)

The process of digestion

Start
Stage 1 - In the mouth
Digestion begins as soon as you start to chew your food. Your teeth chop and grind food (mechanical process of digestion) and mix it with saliva which is secreted by the salivary glands. Saliva softens the food and contains enzyme amylase which begins to break down starches into smaller molecules - sugars (chemical process of digestion). When the ball of food (bolus) is soft and moist enough, the tongue then pushes it out of the mouth and down into the oesophagus.

Stage 2 - In the oesophagus

The oesophagus is a tube about 25cm long. The long muscular walls of the oesophagus squeeze the food down towards the stomach with movements called peristalsis.

Stage 3 In the stomach

The stomach is not very big in size, but it is very muscular. It squeezes and churns (mixes) the food with digestive juices (acids and enzymes). The digestion of protein starts here in the stomach by the enzyme pepsin which breaks down protein into smaller chains peptides. Hydrochloric acid in the stomach helps with the breakdown of food. A normal meal stays in the stomach for about 2-3 hours. A big meal may stays in your stomach for 5 hours or more. From the stomach it is then pushed to the small intestine.

Stage 4 In the small intestine

The small intestine is over four meters long. Digestion of fat starts here where the enzyme lipase which is released from the pancreas, together with bile which is released from the liver, break down fat to glycerol and fatty acids. Digestive juices in the small intestine continue with the breakdown of all nutrients into even villi smaller molecules. The small intestine is lined with millions of small finger-like projections called VILLI. These absorb the nutrients that we need from food into the blood vessels. Then our blood vessels carry the nutrients back to the liver and then the liver uses the nutrients as needed.

Stage 5 - In the large intestine (colon)

The main job of the large intestine is to remove the water from the leftover undigested food. When the water is removed from the liquid paste, it turns into solid waste (FAECES). The RECTUM stores the faeces until the body is ready to eliminate it through the ANUS. 2
Ms R. Balzan (Home Economics Form 4)

The end
The liver
Is our largest organ and is found on the right side of our body underneath our ribs. It is involved in over 500 chemical processes that take place in the body. The liver stores the fat-soluble vitamins A, D, E and K. The liver also produces bile - a greenish fluid that is needed to dissolve fat in the small intestine, so that fat can then be digested (broken down) by the enzyme lipase. The gall bladder is a sac found close to the liver, which stores bile produced by the liver, until it is needed in the small intestine.

The Pancreas
The pancreas is found just below the liver, behind the stomach. It produces different enzymes to break down food: - Amylase helps to further digest carbohydrates such as bread and potatoes into glucose. - Trypsin breaks down peptides (small chains of proteins) into amino acids. - Lipase divides fats into fatty acids and glycerol.

Enzymes
Enzymes are proteins that speed up chemical reactions. Each enzyme generally works with only one particular type of molecule. Enzymes are unaffected by the reactions they speed up, so they keep working for us after they complete a chemical reaction. They can be reused over and over again.

Activity time

Read the following and underline the correct answer

1. What is inside your stomach that helps break food down into a thick liquid paste? a) water b) hydrochloric acid and enzymes c) villi 2. What are the tiny finger-like projections called that are inside the small intestine? These tiny finger-like projections absorb the nutrients form the food and send the vitamins, minerals, proteins, carbohydrates and fats into our bloodstream. a) esophagus b)arteries c) villi
3
Ms R. Balzan (Home Economics Form 4)

3. After the food leaves our stomach it heads into which part of the digestive system? a) esophagus b) pancreas c) small intestine d) large intestine 4. What is removed from the undigested food when it is in the Large Intestine? a) water b) nutrients c) energy d) sugar

Ms R. Balzan (Home Economics Form 4)