The food process starts as soon as the food enters the mouth.

The food is cut into small pieces by the teeth. This is called ingestion. In the mouth, the salivary glands secrete enzymes called ptyalin. It breaks down starch into maltose.

The food is pushed to the back of the mouth by the tongue, passes through the pharynx and goes to the esophagus, a long tube that connects the mouth to the stomach. The rhythmic muscular action called peristalsis pushes the food down to the stomach.

The stomach is a pear-shaped organ for about hours. There are three kinds of cells in the stomach that secrete the mucus, enzymes, hydrochloric acid and water which combine to form gastric juice. The enzymes produced by the stomach are mostly Proteases which break down proteins. The principal protease is called pepsin which breaks down protein into polypeptides. The food is churn for several hours in the stomach.

After the food has been digested in the stomach, it goes down into the small intestine. This is where most of the chemical digestion and absorption of food molecules occur. It contains enzymes produced by the liver, pancreas, and the intestinal glands. The pancreas produces pancreatic juice that acts on carbohydrates, fats and proteins in food. The liver produces bile that helps in the digestion of fats and lipids.

Inside the small intestine are lined fingerlike projection called villi which absorbs the food molecules, and conduct them through the blood stream. The blood carries the food to the different cells of the body.

The food that was not fully digested goes to the bigger colon or large intestine which absorbs water from the lumen. The solid indigestible wastes called feces remain.

The last portion of the alimentary canal about 20-30 centimeters is the rectum. Feces remained there until they are eliminated from the body through the opening called anus. This is now called

excretion.

REMEMBER THAT:
The digestion is the process of changing food into tiny pieces (mechanically and chemically) that can be absorbed into the body and used by the cells. The digestive system is composed of the mouth, esophagus,

stomach, small and large intestine, pancreas and liver, and rectum or anus.

S L B C P A F M A B K P

A N U S A A U B U O A A

L C X I T N S A J L T D

I O L S U K R I S U H I

V L E J A H K O T S A L

A R E D D A L B L L A G

R J P D I G E S T I O N

Y D K P E S O P A G U S

A M Y L A N I E A T H R R O T E E E I S T N C A C D D T N E M I I S A L H J P E P K A U S L J M

A S E L A T Y N A I N R S A D Y P Y N O H U K O X M B H C R B V A N S C

Food enters the mouth

--------

Esophagus

---------------Eliminated by Anus

Small Intestine
Food becomes Feces

---------------

Outside World!

Food enters the mouth

Mouth

Esophagus

Stomach
Large Intestine Eliminated by Anus

Small Intestine
Food becomes Feces

Pancreas and Liver

Feces remained in Rectum

Outside World!

Leah Rose Paras

Trisha Kate Nagano Issabette Pajarillaga Keren Claire Paras