Chapter – 2

Nutrition in Animals
Digestion in humans
o Humans take food through mouth, digest the food and finally the undigested food are
removed from the body.
o The food passes from oral cavity and finally the undigested food is defecated through
anus.

It is a complex process involving following steps:

1. Ingestion
Ingestion refers to the intake of food. It takes place through Mouth
2. Digestion
Digestion refers to the breakdown of ingested food into simpler forms
Teeth, Stomach, Small intestine and secretion from various glands help in
Digestion
3. Absorption
Absorption refers to the process in which digested food in absorbed in to the body
fluids (Blood & lymph). Small intestine plays a major role in Absorption
4. Assimilation
Assimilation refers to the process in which absorbed food is transported to
different cells of the body
5. Egestion
Egestion refers to the process of removal of undigested food from the body
Large intestine plays a major role in Egestion.
The human digestive system consists of the alimentary canal and secretory glands. It
consists of the
(i) Buccal cavity
(ii) Pharynx
(iii) Oesophagus,
(iv) Stomach,
(v) Small intestine,
(vi) Large intestine
(vii) Rectum
(viii) Anus.
• The main digestive glands which secrete digestive juices are
(i) Salivary glands,
(ii) Liver and
(iii) Pancreas.

(i) In the Mouth (or Buccal Cavity)

Food is taken into the body (or ingested) through the mouth. The mouth (or buccal
cavity) contains teeth, tongue and salivary glands.
• The teeth cut the food into small pieces, chew and grind it.
• The salivary glands secrete watery liquid called saliva.
• The tongue helps in mixing saliva with food. Saliva is a digestive juice which helps
to digest the starch present in the food partially. Saliva also makes the food
slippery. The slightly digested food is swallowed by the tongue and goes
down into oesophagus (or food pipe). Tongue has four taste buds.

• Different types of teeth

 1. Incisors – The four front teeth in both the upper and lower jaws are
called incisors. They help in biting and chewing.

2. Canines – There are four canines in the oral cavity. They are sharp and
pointed. They help in cutting.
3. Premolars (Bicuspids) – These teeth are located behind and adjacent to the
canines and are designed to chew and grind food.
4. Molars – The most posterior teeth in the mouth are the molars. They are
broad and large and helps in chewing and grinding.
There are two sets of teeth −Temporary and permanent
Tooth enamel is the hard, outer surface layer of your teeth that serves to protect
against tooth decay. In fact, tooth enamel is considered the hardest mineral
substance in your body, even stronger than bone. Acids can attack and soften
the tooth surface. And once your enamel is gone, it can be gone for good.
(ii) In the Oesophagus (or Food Pipe)

• The oesophagus is a tube (or pipe) which connects the mouth (or buccal cavity)
to stomach.
• Oesophagus is commonly known as food pipe.
• It measures about 25 cm in humans. It runs along the neck and chest.
• Oesophagus carries the slightly digested food from the mouth to the stomach.
• When the food enters oesophagus at the top end, the muscles in the walls of
oesophagus show continuous muscular movement which pushes the food
downwards towards the stomach. This muscular movement is called peristalsis.
(iii) In the Stomach
o The stomach is a thick walled bag present on the left side of the abdomen. It is
the widest part of the alimentary canal.
o Oesophagus (or food pipe) brings the slightly digested food from the mouth into
stomach.
o The food is further digested in the stomach. The food is churned in the stomach
for about three hours. During this time, the food breaks down into still
smaller pieces and makes a semi-solid paste, this semi solid paste is called
chyme.
o The inner lining of stomach secretes mucus, hydrochloric acid and digestive
juices.
o Mucus protects the lining of stomach from its own secretions of hydrochloric
acid. Hydrochloric acid kills any bacteria which may enter the stomach with food.
It also makes the medium in the stomach acidic (which is necessary for the
proper action of digestive juices on proteins).
o The partially digested food then goes from the stomach into the small intestine.
(iv) In the Small Intestine

• The small intestine is a very long tube. It is about 7.5 metres long. The small
intestine is arranged in the form of a coil in our belly. The small intestine in
human beings is the site of complete digestion of food. The small intestine is
also the main region for the absorption of digested food.
• . All these digestive juices carry out the complete digestion of food.
• Liver secretes liquid called bile (which is stored temporarily in the sac called gall
bladder).The bile plays an important part in the digestion of fats. Actually, bile
converts fats into tiny droplets so that their further breakdown becomes easy.
• Pancreas secretes pancreatic juice. Pancreatic juice breaks down fats completely
into fatty acids and glycerol. Pancreatic juice also breaks down carbohydrate and
proteins into simpler forms.
• The walls of small intestine secrete a digestive juice called intestinal
juice. Intestinal juice breaks down the starch carbohydrate completely into the
simplest sugar called glucose, and the proteins into amino acids. Our food breaks
down completely into very small, water soluble substances like glucose, fatty
acids, glycerol and amino acids. This is called digested food.
 • The digested food can now pass into the blood vessels in the walls of the small
intestine. This process is called absorption.
• The inner surface of the small intestine has millions of tiny, finger-like
outgrowths called villi. The role of villi in the small intestine is to increase the
surface area for the rapid absorption of digested food. Each villus has a network
of thin and small blood vessels (called blood capillaries) close to its surface. The
surface of villi absorbs the digested food materials into blood flowing through
them.
• Blood carries the absorbed food materials to the cells in all the parts of the body.
In the cells, food is used for energy, growth and repair. This is called assimilation.
Glucose breaks down in the cells with the help of oxygen to form carbon dioxide
and water, and releases energy.
• The food that remains undigested and unabsorbed passes from the small
intestine into large intestine
(v) In the Large Intestine

• The large intestine is about 1.5.metres long.

• It has three parts namely caecum, colon and rectum.
• Caecum is the first part of the large intestine. Its main part is the vermiform
appendix which is not functional in humans but well developed in herbivorous
animals.
• The undigested and unabsorbed food from the small intestine enters into large
intestine.
• The large intestine absorbs most of the water from the undigested food
material. Due to the removal of water, the undigested food becomes semi-solid.
• This undigested food (or waste material) is stored in the last part of large
intestine called rectum for some time. The undigested, semi-solid waste is
called faeces which is passed out from our body through anus.This is
called egestion.