our cells are microscopic. the food we eat is too large to be digested. it must be broken down into small, soluable and simple substances.
what is the process of breaking down food called and where does it take place?
Digestion, takes place in the digestive system.
what are the two ways food can be digested?
physically/mechanically and chemically.
bile salts- only physically digest fats
bile is stored in the gall bladder, and bile salts are contained in bile.
what is the process of chemical digestion?
amino acids-peptide-proteins
globular- very large, spherical
proteins- organic molecules
catalyse- speed up or increase
metaholic reactions- chemical reactions
biological catalysts- enzymes
enzymes are needed for support
monomers- building blocks
one- naono/saccharide; more than one- monosaccharides
di- two sugar units
poly- many sugar units
what is egestion?
the process of the removal of undigested food as well as cells scraped off of the intestinal gut, mucus and bilrubin (comes from the breakdown of haemoglobin), from the anus
what does it mean to egest?
it means to discharge undigested material and food
what are the functions of the large intestine?
absorption of h20/water
synthesis of certain vitamins (k and some b) intestinal bacteria
temporary storage for faeces (rectum)
discharge/removal of faeces (anus)
peristaltic waves move the faecal matter along the large intestine. during this process, h20 is being reabsorbed from the faeces, across the intestinal wall, which makes faeces a semi solid mass
water reabsorption occurs in the colon-undigested food with fibre is bulky and moves easily along the colon- temporarily stored in the rectum before discharged through the anus.
food has no fibre-water reabsorption occurs-undigested food/faecal stays in the colon and forms a hard mass that is difficult to move (constipation).
