Science 8

Quarter 4 – Lesson 1
Structures and Functions of the Digestive System

The food that we eat plays a central role in the survival of species. It provides the energy that
enables us to carry out the many activities that we do each day such as breathing, walking, studying and
cooking. Food also provides the substances needed for growth and repair of body parts.
The cells in the body need food for energy used for growth and repair. Food must be broken down
into a form that these microscopic cells can use. The body changes food into a usable form by means of a
group of organs referred to as the digestive system.
The function of the digestive system is digestion, the breakdown of organic compounds into their
simple forms for use by the cells. Digestion is the chief function of the digestive system. It breaks down
food mechanically and chemically.
Let us take a journey throughout the human
digestive system to see how it works and how the
organs coordinate in order to carry out the processes of
digestion (see figure 1). To make it a little more
interesting, try to imagine what happens to a
hamburger when eaten. Remember that ground meat
is mostly protein, mayonnaise is mostly fat, and the
bun is mostly carbohydrate. The journey of the food
starts from the mouth down to the anus takes about
18-20 hours.

A. INGESTION is the first process that happens in

digestive system. It is the journey of taking in food or
any substance into the body through the mouth. The
journey of food starts when a bit of hamburger enters
your mouth.

B. DIGESTION is the second process involved in

digestive system. It is the process that involves break
Figure 1. Parts and Processes of the Digestive System
down of large food molecules into smaller molecules for
Illustrated by: Rosa Mia
Pontill
L.
easy absorption of the cells. Both chemical and
mechanical digestions begin immediately in the mouth. While the food is in the mouth, the teeth cut,
crush, and break it apart into tiny pieces while the tongue helps mix food with saliva secreted by the
salivary glands forming into a moist ball called bolus so it can be easily swallowed. This process is
known as mastication or chewing considered as a mechanical digestion, which is the initial stage of
digestion. The saliva contains salivary amylase, the enzyme that breaks down starch into smaller
carbohydrate. Then, the bolus passes from the mouth to the esophagus - a tube that attaches the mouth
to the stomach. A series of wave-like muscle contractions known as peristalsis push and transport foods
and liquids in small sections to the stomach.
The stomach is a J-shaped, bag-like muscular organ that can hold approximately one liter of fluid
and food. The primary function of the stomach is to store food, which turns to chyme after being acted on
by the stomach acid. Chyme is a semifluid material formed from bolus that is acted upon by the gastric
juices secreted by the stomach. The walls of the stomach have special cells that secrete gastric juices like
hydrochloric acid and pepsin that begin the chemical
breakdown of proteins.

Illustrated by: Rosa Mia L. Pontillo

Let us take a short detour into the three organs that are part of the digestive system and helps in
secretion of essential substances. These organs are the liver, the pancreas and the gall bladder.
The liver produces bile, a green fluid that turns large fat droplets into smaller ones and stores
them in the gall bladder. When necessary, bile gets into the small intestine and helps in the digestion of
fat. The pancreas makes three different kinds of enzymes namely amylase, peptidase, and lipase released
through a pancreatic duct that aid in the digestion of all three organic compounds such as carbohydrates,
proteins, and fats respectively. The process takes about half of a liter of digestive juices each day. The liver
is the biggest organ inside the body with a mass of about two kilograms. Gall bladder - a small pear-
shaped sac that can hold about 50ml of bile. The pancreas is a small organ found below the stomach.
The small intestine is an organ that breaks down food further into substances, such as glucose,
that can be absorbed by the villi. It has three parts namely the duodenum, the jejunum, and ileum. The
duodenum is the first and shortest part of the small intestine that starts at the lower end of the stomach
and extends for about 20 cm to 25 cm in length. Basically, it is in charge for the continuous breaking-
down process as it partially receives the chyme from the stomach, it resumes chemical digestion of food,
and prepares for absorption through the villi.
Organic compounds such as carbohydrates, proteins, and fats are specifically broken down with
the aid of different enzymes. Carbohydrates are broken down into sugars by enzymes like amylase,
maltase and lactase. Proteins are broken down into amino acids by enzymes like trypsin and peptidase.
Fats are broken down into fatty acids by the enzyme lipase. After about four hours, the stomach pushes
food into the small intestines. See Figure 2 and Figure 2.1. The production and release of enzymes and
acids in the digestive system is called secretion. It aids in the breaking down of complex food molecules
into their chemical building blocks.
The jejunum is the second part of the small intestine that is 2.5 cm in length. Its wall works for
absorption through enterocytes or columnar cells of small nutrient particles which have been previously
digested by the enzymes in the duodenum.
C. Absorption is the third process that happens
in the digestive system. It occurs mostly in the small
intestine where several digestive juices, pancreatic
juice, and bile aid in the chemical digestion of food.
Villi
Absorption is the process of passing the soluble food
molecules in the wall of the small intestine through
the villi – the tiny, finger-like projections from the
epithelial lining of the intestinal wall. Each villus
contains blood capillaries that enable it to absorb
water, glucose, amino acids, vitamins, minerals,
Figure 3. Absorption of nutrients through and fatty acids. It also increases the amount
the villi of surface area available for the absorption of
nutrients. See figure 3.

Illustrated by: Rosa Mia L. Pontillo

D. Assimilation is the fourth process that occurs in the digestive

system. It is the movement of digested food nutrients into the blood vessels
of the small intestine through diffusion and use of nutrients into the body
cells through the microvilli – microscopic cellular membrane projections
that serves to expand the surface area for diffusion and also to lessen any
increase in volume. See figure 4.
Body Cells

Figure 4. Diffusion of Nutrients

The third part of the small intestine is the ileum which is about 3.5 meters in length. Its main function is
the assimilation (absorption) of B12 and the re-assimilation (reabsorption) of conjugated bile salts.

through the Microvilli.

Illustrated by: Rosa Mia L. Pontillo

The Large intestine is divided into caecum, ascending colon, transverse colon, descending colon, and
sigmoid colon. This is where reabsorption of liquid, electrolytes and some vitamins from the undigested
food takes place. It secretes mucus to aid in the formation of feces and maintains alkaline conditions. This
is the last segment of the gastrointestinal tract that completes absorption and compacts waste.

E. Egestion is the last process that occurs in the digestive system. It is the release of undigested food
collected in the rectum called feces and pushed out of the body through the anus by defecation.