GRADE 8 BIOLOGY – THE DIGESTIVE SYSTEM (Q4M1)

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 digestive system is composed of different organs that work
together to break down food and nourish the body. It also involves important
processes in order to carry out the function of 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.
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
down of large food molecules into smaller molecules for 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.
he 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 liver is the biggest organ inside the body with a mass of about two
kilograms.
 1. 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.
2. 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.
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, and fatty acids. It also increases the amount of
surface area available for the absorption of nutrients.
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.
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. 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.