Describe the digestion of a buttered piece of bread from the time it is ingested until it is absorbed in the body. (20mks)
Mouth
- Mechanical digestion where food is chewed and broken into small pieces; for easy swallowing and to increase surface area for enzymatic action.
- Food is mixed with saliva which has salivary amylase, salivary amylase breaks down some starch into maltose; saliva softens,dissolves, lubricates the food.
- Tongue rolls the food into a bolus.
- The bolus is then swallowed through the oesophagus/ gullet to the stomach.
- the presence of the bolus in the stomach stimulates the secretion of gastrin; a hormone that stimulates the secretion of gastric glands to secrete gastric juice;
- Gastric juice contains dilute hydrochloric acid; pepsin and rennin; Dilute HCl creates an acidic medium for enzyme pepsin; also kills; germs present in the food bolus.
- Proteins are digested to polypeptides.
- The acidic chyme stimulate the walls of the duodenum to secrete secretin and cholecytokin which stimulate the secretion of pancreatic juice and bile respectively.
- The pancreas; produces pancreatic juice; which contains pancreatic amylase; pancreatic lipase; and trypsin enzymes;
- Pancreatic amylase breaks down the remaining starch to maltose,pancreatic lipase breaks down the lipids into fatty acids and glycerol; trypsin breaks down proteins and polypeptides to peptides.
- The liver produces bile; that contains bile salts; which emulsify; fats into small fatty droplets increasing their surface area for enzymatic action;
- Bile salts neutralize the acidic chyme and create an alkaline medium for enzymatic action.
- In the ileum secretory cells secrete intestinal juice; that contains maltase; sucrase lactase, peptidase and lipase;
- Maltase breaks down maltose to glucose and lipase breaks down fatty and oils to fatty acids and glycerol; peptidase breaks down peptides to amino acids.
- Glucose and amino acids are absorbed into the ileum wall; to the blood stream; fatty acids and glycerol are absorbed by the lacteals.
20 marks
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