You are on page 1of 52

What is nutrition?

Intake of food
and the process that

converts food substances


into living matter.

5 Stages of nutrition
As food goes along the alimentary canal, it undergoes the following processes:
INGESTION

DIGESTION
ABSORPTION

ASSIMILATION
EGESTION

Intake of food into the body. Feeding, Drinking.

Breakdown of large, complex and insoluble food molecules into small, soluble particles.

Digested food enters blood and is carried to the liver before going to the rest of the body.

process by which absorbed food is converted to form new cells, for growth and to provide energy.

Removal of undigested food wastes as faeces

INGESTION
HOLOZOIC NUTRITION - intake of ready-

made solid organic food.

DIGESTION
Digestion: process by which body breaks

down food into simple, soluble, diffusible


substances that can be absorbed and used by body cells. Digestive system: alimentary canal and associated organs - liver, pancreas, gall bladder.

Mechanical / Physical digestion: cutting and

crushing of solid food into smaller pieces by


chewing (mastication) and churning (peristalsis).

Chemical digestion: process of breaking down large, insoluble, complex food into smaller, simpler, soluble food particles that can diffuse across cell membranes through the action of enzymes.

WHY IS DIGESTION NEEDED IN ANIMALS?


Animals are unable to manufacture their own food in their bodies. They must obtain food substances from other animals or plants to provide for their energy requirements, growth and health. Most of the nutrients in food such as starch, protein and fat occur as large, insoluble molecules. Such molecules cannot pass through the cell membrane into the body cells.

Animals must break down these complex molecules into simple,


diffusible and soluble molecules using action of enzymes. Glucose and amino acids, are small and soluble in water. They

can then pass through the cells in the walls of the gut and blood
vessels to get into the blood stream.

LAYERS OF TISSUES IN ALIMENTARY CANAL


Serous coat Longitudinal smooth muscles Circular smooth muscles Epithelium - innermost layer of cells in canal. Replaced when worn away by food movement. Folded, lined with digestive glands and cells that produce mucus. Blood vessels

JOURNEY OF FOOD
As food enters the mouth, mechanical digestion occurs.The teeth mashes up the food and mixes it with

saliva that is secreted


by the salivary gland.

Teeth

cut, grind and break food into smaller pieces to expose large surface area for enzymes to act on.

Tongue Rolls food into bolus

Behind Swallowing. . .
Investigation

1.Place your fingers against your larynx (voice-box)


2.Swallow your saliva 3.Account for the movement in your throat

1. The

voice-box / larynx

moves up.
to

2. This movement causes a flap of tissue called the trachea / wind-pipe epiglottis

close off the entrance of the 3. This prevents the entry of food
particles into the trachea / wind-pipe

Journey of Food
Food then goes through a long winding

tube called oesophagus.


The long tube of esophagus ensures that food has sufficient time to be digested and absorbed into the body.

JOURNEY OF FOOD
The cells of the

oesophagus wall secretes


a liquid called mucus.

Mucus makes it easier and


smoothen the journey of

the food as it travels to


the stomach.

wave-like, rhythmic waves of contraction and

relaxation of muscular wall of gut, regulated


by nervous system. Food can move slowly and easily through the entire alimentary canal. Circular muscles contract, longitudinal muscles relax = wall contracts, vice versa.

Peristalsis simulation

The muscles in the wall of the canal cause wave-like contractions called Peristalsis. This process can be visualized as a squeezing action, forcing the food along.

visit website for peristalsis animation: http://www.westga.edu/~lkral/peristalsis/

JOURNEY OF FOOD

Peristalsis: Squeezing action

JOURNEY OF FOOD
Sphincter muscles to control the flow of food.

As food enters the stomach, Gastric juices are secreted by gastric glands in the walls of the stomach. Gastric juices contain acids such as HCl and enzymes to digest proteins.
The P.H of stomach is 2.0

Diagram of a Stomach

JOURNEY OF FOOD
A thick , muscular and elastic bag.
Due to its acidic conditions in the stomach, the enzyme amylase does not function here and there is no breakdown of starch molecules into maltose.

Gastric juice = enzyme pepsin + dilute solution of hydrochloric acid Amylase requires an alkaline medium to function HCl stops the action of salivary amylase.

1)

Provides an acidic medium for action of the enzyme pepsin. Kills bacteria.

2)

Caused by excessive production of hydrochloric acid.


HCl causes the stomach walls to be eroded gastric ulcer Worry and stress can increase the flow of gastric juice into the stomach

Can also be caused by a bacteria, which causes recurrent infections

JOURNEY OF FOOD
The small intestine consists of

Small Intestine

three portion namely :


Duodenum , Jejunum and ileum. The small intestines receive bile and pancreatic juices and

contain enzymes for digestion.


p.H is 8.5 , alkaline condition

JOURNEY OF FOOD
Small intestine

Ileum

JOURNEY OF FOOD
All the food that have been digested in the small intestine will gets absorbed into the blood stream at the

ileum.

JOURNEY OF FOOD
The function of the large intestine is to absorb water and mineral salts from undigested food. It also stores faeces which are mainly undigested food such as cellulose from the vegetables.
Inverted U colon , large intestine

ileum

JOURNEY OF FOOD
The function of anus is to expel or egest the undigested food (faeces).

Anus

JOURNEY OF FOOD

JOURNEY OF FOOD

JOURNEY OF FOOD
The liver produces a green liquid called bile that helps to break up the fats into smaller droplets . This process is called Emulsification.

The bile is stored in the gall bladder before released into the small intestine.

JOURNEY OF FOOD

The elongated pancreas secretes pancreatic juice which contains enzymes to digest carbohydrates, proteins and fats.

MOUTH
TEETH - for mastication. Teeth cut, grind and break food into smaller pieces to expose large surface area for enzymes to act on. TONGUE - rolls food into bolus. SALIVARY GLANDS produce saliva - softens and moistens food. Saliva contains water, mucus, salivary amylase (ptyalin). Water - as solvent, for hydrolysis. Mucus - sticks food together and lubricates bolus for swallowing Starch ------> Maltose

PHARYNX
EPIGLOTTIS - helps to separate pathway of digestion and respiration I.e. alimentary canal for food and trachea (windpipe) for air. Bolus of food pushed into pharynx by tongue. Epiglottis covers trachea during swallowing. If it does not function properly - coughing reaction.

OESOPHAGUS
Tube connecting pharynx to stomach. Walls made up of circular and longitudinal muscles. PERISTALSIS - muscular waves of contraction along length of alimentary canal. Transports food to stomach.

CARDIAC SPHINCTER - rings of muscle at entrance of stomach. Controls entry of food into stomach.

STOMACH
J-shaped muscular bag. Muscular walls churn and further break food into smaller pieces. Food mixed with gastric juice and mucus to form chyme. Store food for 2 - 6 hours. GASTRIC JUICE - secreted by gastric and mucus glands. Digestive enzymes in gastric juice begin digestion of proteins. PYLORIC SPHINCTER - rings of muscles at exit of stomach. Controls entry of food into duoenum.

STOMACH - GASTRIC JUICE


HYDROCHLORIC ACID - acidic medium (pH 2) for enzyme action. Kills bacteria. Activates enzymes. Water - as solvent, for hydrolysis. Mucus - protects stomach wall from acidic gastric juice. Lubricant for movement of food in stomach. PEPSIN - proteins digested into polypeptides / peptones. RENNIN - coagulates milk protein (caseinogen) into insoluble curds (casein) for hydrolysis by pepsin.

SMALL INTESTINE
Long coiled muscular tube with many folds on inner surface, lined by glands. 3 regions - duodenum, jejunum, ileum. Increases surface area for absorption of food. DUODENUM - produces intestinal juice for final stage of digestion. JEJUNUM AND ILEUM - for absorption of digested food materials.

DUODENUM - SMALL INTESTINE


INTESTINAL JUICE (SUCCUS ENTERICUS)- alkaline, with many enzymes. EREPSIN - peptones digested into amino acids. LACTASE - lactose (milk sugar)digested into glucose and galactose. SUCRASE - Sucrose (table sugar) digested into glucose and fructose. MALTASE - Maltose digested into glucose. INTESTINAL LIPASE - fats digested into fatty acids and glycerol ENTEROKINASE - activate trypsinogen to trypsin from pancreatic juice. Water - as solvent, for hydrolysis.

ADAPTATIONS OF SMALL INTESTINE Covering inner surfaces of ileum are villi (finger-like projections) . Each villi is covered with epithelial cells with microvilli (microscopic projections) - further increase surface area. Wall of each villus is very thin, only one cell thick. Allows fast diffusion or active transport.

Intestinal wall and villi richly supplied with blood capillaries and lacteals.

LIVER AND GALL BLADDER


BILE - dark green liquid produced by liver. GALL BLADDER - store bile temporarily. When food is in duodenum, released via bile duct. Emulsifies or breaks fats into tiny droplets, provides increased surface area for lipase to act on. Neutralises acidic chyme, provides alkaline medium (pH 8).

PANCREAS
Joined to duodenum by pancreatic duct. PANCREATIC JUICE - alkaline, contains many enzymes for hydrolytic food digestion. Water - as solvent, for hydrolysis. PANCREATIC AMYLASE - starch digested into maltose. TRYPSIN - polypeptides digested into peptones.(TRYPSINOGEN activated by ENTEROKINASE from intestinal juice) PANCREATIC LIPASE - fats digested into fatty acids and glycerol Insulin (hormone) - excess glucose converted into glycogen in liver stored. Glucagon (hormone) glycogen converted into glucose in liver and released into blood.

LARGE INTESTINE
Regions - Caecum, appendix, colon, rectum and anus. CAECUM & APPENDIX- non-functional organs in Man. Contains many bacteria to produce vitamins e.g. B1, B2, K. COLON - thick walled, U-shaped tube. Absorbs water, vitamins and mineral salts from the undigested food. MUCUS - lubricates unabsorbed, undigested food.

LARGE INTESTINE
Peristalsis - compacts undigested food into faeces and moves food along colon. RECTUM - stores faeces temporarily. FAECES - undigested food, roughage, bile

pigments, bacteria, dead cells from


intestinal wall.

ANUS - regulate emptying of rectum.

You might also like