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PROCESS OF DIGESTION

Digestion is a chemical process that breaks down large food molecules into smaller ones through enzymatic hydrolysis, involving various enzymes like proteases, amylases, and lipases. The process occurs in stages: in the mouth, stomach, small intestine, and large intestine, with each stage focusing on different macromolecules and utilizing specific enzymes. The final stage in the large intestine involves bacterial fermentation and absorption of water and ions, leading to the elimination of waste.

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6 views

PROCESS OF DIGESTION

Digestion is a chemical process that breaks down large food molecules into smaller ones through enzymatic hydrolysis, involving various enzymes like proteases, amylases, and lipases. The process occurs in stages: in the mouth, stomach, small intestine, and large intestine, with each stage focusing on different macromolecules and utilizing specific enzymes. The final stage in the large intestine involves bacterial fermentation and absorption of water and ions, leading to the elimination of waste.

Uploaded by

l16215090
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
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Download as PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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PROCESS OF DIGESTION

 Digestion is the chemical process by which complex and large food molecules are broken
down to small molecules by the action of digestive enzymes , so that they become
suitable for absorption

 Digestion involves process of hydrolysis catalysed by enzymes hence, called as


enzymatic hydrolysis

 Those enzymes are called hydrolases which act under suitable pH

They are :

 Proteases – acting on protein

 Amylases- on carbohydrate

 Lipases – on fat

1. In mouth:

 The food is chewed and masticated by teeth and with the help of tongue is rolled into a
bolus

 It is acted upon by salivary juice

a) Digestion of carbohydrates:

 Salivary amylase acts on starch and converts to dextrin and then to maltose under alkaline
pH

b) Digestion of fat

 saliva contains lingual lipase which converts some triglyceride to fatty acid

c) Digestion of proteins

 Proteins donot undergo digestion in mouth

 Then the food is sent to stomach by act of deglutition


2. In stomach:

a) Digestion of carbohydrates:
 Gastric juice plays minor role in carbohydrate digestion

b) Digestion of fats:

 Gastric lipase converts triglycerides to fatty acid and glycerol

c) Digestion of proteins:

 proteins are digested by Pepsin and renin in presence of HCl

Pepsinogen HCl pepsin

Proteins Acid- pepsin mixture proteoses, peptones , polypeptides

 Rennin is a milk curdling enzyme present in infants , which is secreted as prorenin

Prorennin Rennin

 Rennin acts on soluble milk protein Caesin and converts it to para caesin

 It is then hydrolysed by pepsin into proteoses, peptones and polypeptides

3. In small intestine:

 By segmentation and peristalsis the mixing of chyme with intestinal juice takes place

a) Carbohydrates:

- Pancreatic amylase converts starch to maltose

- Maltose Maltase Glucose + glucose

- Lactose Lactase Glucose + Galactose

- Sucrose Sucrase Glucose + fructose

- The final end product glucose is ready for absorption

b) Protein:

 Pancreatic proteases are – chymotrypsin, trypsin and carboxypeptidase

- Trypsinogen is activated into trypsin by enterokinase

- Proteins Trypsin proteoses, peptides, polypeptides


- Chymotrypsinogen is activated to chymotrypsin by trypsin

- Protein Chymotrypsin polypeptides

- the intestinal proteases act on peptone, proteoses and breaks down to amino acids

- The end product amino acids are ready for absorption

c) Fat :

 Although some digestion of lipids occurs in stomach with help of lingual lipase and gatric
lipase, most occurs in small intestine through action of pancreatic lipase

 Pancreatic lipase converts triglycerides to fatty acid and monoglycerides

 For pancreatic lipase to act food must be emulsified

 The dietary fat comes in contact with bile salts and emulsification occurs

 By emulsification surface area of triglycerides increases and pancreatic lipase can act
more thoroughly

 Intestinal lipase of succus entericus digests triglycerides to fatty acids and glycerol

- The bile salts combine with the end products of fat digestion and form water soluble
complexes called micelles, which are then absorbed through villi into lacteal

4. In large intestine:

 Here final stage of digestion occurs through activity of bacterial flora

 The bacteria ferment any remaining carbohydrates and release H2 , CO2 and methane
which contribute to flatus

 Bacteria also decompose bilirubin to stercobilin and give color to stools

 It breaks down amino acids to indole and skatole which gives odour to stools

 In large intestine absorption of water and ions takes place and the final excretory product
is eliminated by process of defecation

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