Basic Processes of the Digestive System

• What are the Processes of Gastrointestinal Tract?

  Ingestion, Propulsion, Mechanical Breakdown, Digestion, Absorption, Defecation
• Ingestion - a voluntary process, which includes placing the food into the mouth
• Propulsion - the process of propelling the foods from one organ to the next
• Propulsion - simply swallowing
• Peristalsis - the propulsive process; movement of the food by the smooth muscle tissue
• Peristalsis - involuntary and involves alternating waves of contraction and relaxation of the longitudinal muscle in the organ wall
• Mechanical Breakdown - physically fragments food into smaller particles, increasing surface area and preparing food for further degradation by enzymes
• Mechanical Breakdown - the chewing and mixing of food in the mouth by the teeth and tongue
• Digestion - the sequence of steps in which large food molecules are chemically broken down to their building blocks by enzymes
• What is the other term for digestion?

  Chemical Breakdown
• Absorption - the transport of digestive end products from the lumen of the GI tract to the blood or lymph
• Defecation - the elimination of indigestible residues and gut bacteria from the GI tract via the anus in the form of feces