INTE SCI, Chemical Dig

• Mechanical breakdown occurs when food is chewed or ground up by teeth and stomach acid.
• Digestion involves mechanical breakdown (chewing) and chemical breakdown (enzymes)
• The digestive system is the organ system that breaks down food into nutrients
• Enzyme-substrate complex forms when an enzyme binds with its substrate.
• Chemical digestion involves the use of enzymes to break down large molecules into smaller ones that can be absorbed through cell membranes.
• The active site on an enzyme has a specific shape that fits only one type of substrate.
• Chemical digestion breaks down large molecules into smaller ones
• Enzymes are biological catalysts that speed up reactions without being used up themselves