Alwadi International School Grade 9 Biology 7. Human Nutrition Notes

ALWADI INTERNATIONAL SCHOOL GRADE 9 BIOLOGY 7.
HUMAN NUTRITION NOTES
2020-2021 Page 1
ALWADI INTERNATIONAL SCHOOL GRADE 9 BIOLOGY 7. HUMAN NUTRITION NOTES
2020-2021 Page 2
7.2 ALIMENTARY CANAL
❖ The human digestive system consists of the alimentary canal and its associated
organs.
❖ The alimentary canal is a 9 m long tube, which starts at the mouth, runs through the
stomach, intestines and end at the anus.
❖ The main regions of the alimentary canal are:
1. Mouth, teeth
2. Oesophagus
3. Stomach
4. Small intestine (duodenum + ileum)
5. Large intestine (colon + rectum + anus)
❖ Associated organs in the digestive system include the salivary glands, pancreas, liver &
gall bladder.
2020-2021 Page 3
Food in our digestive system passes through 5 main phases:
1. INGESTION: The taking of substances, e.g. food and drink, into the body through
the mouth.
2. DIGESTION: The breakdown of large, insoluble food molecules into smaller,

soluble molecules, so that they can be absorbed and transported in the blood.
It is of two types.
a) MECHANICAL DIGESTION: It is the breakdown of food into smaller pieces
without chemical change to the food molecules. Ex: chewing / mastication in
mouth by teeth and in churning / muscular action of the stomach.
b) CHEMICAL DIGESTION: It is the breakdown of large, insoluble molecules into
small, soluble molecules by enzymes.
 Importance of chemical digestion: Chemical digestion produces small, simple and
soluble molecules which can be absorbed i.e. move through the cell membrane of
small intestine cells into the blood and dissolve in blood plasma to be transported to
all body cells.
3. ABSORPTION: It is the movement of small food molecules and ions through the
walls of the intestine into the blood.
4. ASSIMILATION: It is the movement of digested food molecules into the cells of the
body where they are used, becoming part of the cells.
5. EGESTION: It is the passing out of food that has not been digested or absorbed, as
faeces, through the anus.
2020-2021 Page 4
MAIN REGIONS OF THE ALIMENTARY CANAL AND THEIR FUNCTIONS.
1. MOUTH
The following occurs in the mouth:
1. Ingestion of food
2. Mechanical digestion by teeth, which increases the surface area for enzyme action
3. Chemical digestion of starch by amylase enzyme
❖ Mechanical digestion/chewing by teeth produces a food bolus. Formation of a bolus

eases swallowing.
❖ Four salivary glands in the mouth produce saliva, which contains:
1. Enzyme-salivary amylase for chemical breakdown of starch to maltose.

2. Water and mucus, which moistens & lubricates the food and help the small
pieces stick together. This makes swallowing easy.
3. Sodium hydrogencarbonate which helps to keep the pH in mouth at about 6.5 –
7.5 [optimum pH for amylase].
Swallowing:
The bolus produced in the mouth is
pushed down towards the
alimentary canal.
The figure shows a person
swallowing a bolus of food, during
which the tongue pushes the bolus
and the epiglottis closes to
prevent the food from entering the trachea.
2020-2021 Page 5
STRUCTURE OF TOOTH
❖ Each tooth has two main regions.
❖ The visible, upper part is called the crown; it is
present above the gums. The part embedded in the
gums is called the root. The figure on the right
shows the typical structure of a tooth.
The table below describes the different parts of teeth

and their functions.
Part Composition and function
Enamel • Covers the crown

• Made of calcium salts.
• Fluoride strengthens it.
• Hardest substance in the body. Acids can destroy it.
Dentine • Lies below the enamel
• Softer than enamel
• Made of calcium salts and collagen fibres.
Pulp cavity • Present in the middle of the tooth
• Contains nerves and blood vessels, which supply
nutrients and oxygen to the tooth.
Cement • Covers the root; made of collagen fibres; fixes the tooth
to the jawbone.
Gums • Soft tissue which surrounds the teeth.
TYPES OF TEETH
❖ There are four types of teeth in humans- incisors, canines, premolars and molars,
each specialised for a different function.
❖ An adult human has – 8 Incisors, 4 Canines, 8 Premolars, 12 Molars, a total of 32
teeth in the mouth.
❖ The drawings below show four different types of teeth and their location in our mouth.
2020-2021 Page 6
Human jaws and teeth Teeth in the upper jaw
❖ Each type of tooth is different from the other and has its own function as shown in
table.
Type of Number in Feature Function

tooth one jaw
Incisors 4 • Chisel shaped, sharp • cutting and biting
edge food
• 1 root
Canines 2 • Long & pointed • Tearing and ripping

• 1 root meat, holding the prey
Premolars 4 • Have raised parts • crush & grind food

called cusps with into small pieces
grooves between them
• 1 or 2 roots
Molars 4/6 • Have raised parts • crush & grind food

called cusps with into small pieces
grooves between them
• 3 roots
2020-2021 Page 7
❖ There are differences between the teeth of omnivores such as humans, carnivores
such as lions and herbivores such as cows.
❖ Carnivores have sharp, long and pointed canines to tear apart the flesh, whereas
herbivores have small canines but prominent incisors to cut leaves and branches.
The figure below shows the arrangement of teeth in a human and in a dog.
The table below shows the differences between the teeth of the human and the dog.
Human Dog
incisors are not pointed but large more pointed and small incisors
small, less pointed canines large, strong and more pointed canines
fewer molar teeth with one root more molar teeth with one or two roots
premolars and molars are not pointed premolars and molars are sharp and pointed
PROCESS OF TOOTH DECAY/DENTAL DECAY
❖ One of the main reasons of tooth decay is eating a lot of sugary food and not
cleaning the teeth properly.
❖ When you eat sugary food, sugars remain stuck on surface of the teeth.
❖ The bacteria feed on the sugars deposited on the teeth,
respire and produce acid, which dissolves the calcium salts
in the tooth enamel.
❖ The enamel is dissolved away in patches, exposing the
dentine. Dentine is softer than the enamel and dissolves
more quickly so cavities are formed.
❖ The cavities reduce the distance between the outside of the
tooth and the nerve endings. The acids produced by the
bacteria irritate the nerve endings and cause toothache.
2020-2021 Page 8
❖ If the cavity is not cleaned and filled by a dentist, bacteria will get into the pulp
cavity and cause a painful abscess (inflammation) at the root resulting in severe
pain.
❖ Often, the only way to treat this is to have the tooth pulled out.
PROPER CARE OF TEETH TO PREVENT TOOTH DECAY
1. Avoid lots of sugary foods & sweet drinks.

2. Clean/brush the teeth regularly.
3. Use dental floss or a toothpick to remove pieces of
food.
4. Visit the dentist regularly for a checkup.
5. Use a tooth paste which:
• Contains fluoride to strengthen the tooth enamel
• Contains a bactericide (to kill bacteria)
• Is alkaline to neutralize the acids released by the bacteria
NOTE:
✓ There is a fall in pH in the mouth after a
meal as shown in the graph because bacteria
use food residues [sugar] left on or around
the teeth as an energy source and so lactic
acid is produced.
✓ There is a rise in pH later as saliva
neutralises the acid.
NOTE:
 Adding fluoride to public water supplies help prevent tooth decay. It reduces the
loss of minerals from the tooth and promotes repair of early tooth decay.
 Growing children can get fluoride from toothpaste or from fluoridated water. It
becomes part of the enamel making it more resistant to tooth decay.
2020-2021 Page 9
2. OESOPHAGUS/GULLET
❖ It transfers food from the mouth to the stomach, by peristalsis.
❖ Peristalsis is a wave of contraction that passes down the
muscular wall of the oesophagus (all along the alimentary
canal), pushing the food in front of it.
❖ The alimentary canal has layers of muscle in its walls. One
layer of muscles run around the canal (circular muscle) and
the others run along its length (longitudinal muscle).
❖ Amylase continues to work in the oesophagus, as it is
present in the moving bolus.
❖ During peristalsis:
✓ Circular muscles contract, making the alimentary canal narrower which squeeze
the food to push it down.
✓ Longitudinal muscles then contract to stretch back the circular muscles once again.
3. STOMACH
❖ Stomach is a large muscular sac-like organ in the alimentary canal. Chemical

digestion of proteins occur in the stomach by pepsin.
❖ Glands in the stomach walls secrete gastric juice which contains:
1. Pepsin: A protease enzyme, which starts the digestion of proteins, changing

them to polypeptides.
2. Hydrochloric acid: Kills microbes by denaturing the enzymes in microbes that
might be present in food. Provides pepsin enzyme an optimum pH (1-3) to work.
This change in pH prevents any further starch digestion by salivary amylase, which
came along with the food bolus.
2020-2021 Page 10
❖ Other glands in the stomach wall produce mucus, which protect the wall of the
stomach from attack by gastric juices and prevent it from digesting itself.
❖ Muscles in the stomach wall mix and churn the food with gastric juices. Churning is
mechanical digestion.
❖ Thus, in the stomach
✓ Food is changed into a soft semi-fluid mixture called chyme, by combination of

mechanical churning and chemical breakdown.
✓ No carbohydrates or fats are digested in the stomach.
✓ Very little absorption occurs through the stomach wall, apart from alcohol and
certain drugs—for example, aspirin.
Figure above shows folds in the stomach internal wall and gastric glands.
Stomach infection:
Helicobacter pylori (H. pylori) is a type of bacteria which cause ulcers in the lining of
your stomach or the upper part of your small intestine.
The bacteria secrete urease enzyme which produce
ammonia. Ammonia neutralizes the HCl in the stomach,
making it easier for the bacteria to colonise the stomach.
Symptoms of H. pylori infection include:
• An ache or burning sensation in your abdomen.

• Loss of appetite.
• Frequent burping.
• Bloating.
For some people, an infection can lead to stomach cancer.
2020-2021 Page 11
4. SMALL INTESTINE
A) Duodenum
❖ The duodenum forms the first part of the

small intestine.
❖ It receives bile from the liver and pancreatic
juice from the pancreas as shown in the
figure.
b) Liver:
❖ Liver produces bile.

❖ Bile is alkaline and it emulsifies the fats (a
form of mechanical digestion) giving them a
much larger surface area so that the enzyme
lipase can act on them.
❖ Bile also neutralises the acid in chyme from
the stomach and produces a favourable pH
(alkaline) for enzymes in the small intestine to
work.
❖ Bile does not have any digestive enzymes therefore it does not digest fats.
✓ Note: Bile is produced in the liver but is secreted into the duodenum from the gall
Gall bladder
bladder.
✓ Note: Without bile, fat digestion will be slowed down; only a few fat molecules
would be digested by lipase enzyme, as they are not emulsified.
c) The gallbladder stores, concentrates, and releases bile through a duct into the
duodenum. Cholesterol may accumulate in the gall bladder forming gall stones. This
stops bile secretion, making fat digestion difficult as emulsification of fats is affected.
d) Pancreas produces pancreatic juice which contains the enzymes given in the table
and Hydrogen carbonate to neutralize the acidic chyme coming from the stomach.
2020-2021 Page 12
e) Ileum
❖ Ileum is the second part of the small intestine. It is

very long and narrow.
❖ It is site where digestion and absorption occur.
❖ The enzymes present on the epithelial cells lining
the walls of the intestine digest the food completely.
❖ These enzymes digest carbohydrates into simple
sugars, proteins into amino acids, and fats into fatty acids and glycerol, which are
absorbed into the blood.
❖ The table below describes various enzymes involved in the chemical digestion of food.
Enzymes involved in chemical digestion of food
Enzyme Place of secretion Function
Amylase Pancreas Breaks down starch to maltose
Trypsin Pancreas Breaks down polypeptides to amino acids
Lipase Pancreas Breaks down fats to fatty acids and glycerol
Epithelial cells of small

Maltase Breaks down maltose to glucose
intestine
Sucrase Breaks down sucrose to glucose and fructose
intestine
Lactase Breaks down lactose to glucose and galactose
intestine
ABSORPTION
❖ Absorption is the movement of digested food molecules into the blood or lymph,
through the wall of the small intestine.
❖ The products of chemical digestion-simple sugars, amino acids, fatty acids and glycerol
including water, mineral and vitamins, which are not digested, are also absorbed in
the small intestine.
❖ Although water is absorbed both in the small intestine (ileum) and large intestine
(colon), most absorption of water occurs in the small intestine.
2020-2021 Page 13
❖ The products of digestion are transported around the body in the blood. From the
blood, cells absorb and use glucose, fats and amino acids. This uptake and use of
food is called assimilation.
❖ Absorption may occur by either diffusion or active transport.
❖ The absorption of amino acids, simple sugars, water soluble-vitamins and minerals
occur by active transport.
❖ In contrast, the products of fat digestion (fatty acids and glycerol) and lipid-soluble
vitamins diffuse into the intestinal cells and then pass into the lacteals.
❖ Lacteals are capillaries of the lymphatic system. They have a milky appearance due
to their high fat content.
❖ Most of the water (90–95%) is absorbed by osmosis in the small intestine.
❖ The surface of the ileum is highly folded, into structures called villi, which give a
large internal surface area for more absorption.
❖ Summary of absorption in the ileum:
Products of
Absorption mechanism Enter into…. Carried to..
digestion
Blood capillary in Liver via hepatic portal
Sugars Active transport
villi vein
Blood capillary in Liver via hepatic portal
Amino acids Active transport
villi vein
Fatty acids and Diffusion into epithelial Blood circulation via
Lacteals in villi
glycerol cells lymph
❖ The wall of the ileum is adapted for efficient absorption as it is:
It is very long – almost 6 meters To give enough time for absorption.

To provide large surface area to allow more
Its walls are folded
absorption at faster rate.
The folds have numerous tiny finger-
To increase the surface area for more absorption.
like projections called villi
The epithelial cells of villi are also
To increase the surface area further.
covered with microvilli
To maintain a steep concentration gradient so that
Has a rich blood supply
absorbed molecules are quickly carried away.
2020-2021 Page 14
Significance of villi and microvilli
Villi are finger-like projections found in the inner surface of the small intestine whereas
microvilli are small projections on the surface of epithelial cells. They help to increase
the surface area of the small intestine for efficient absorption of food. The following table
describes the structural adaptations of the villi for absorption of food.
STRUCTURAL ADAPTATION FUNCTION

1. Lined with thin walled epithelial cells
Provides short distance for diffusion of nutrients.
(one cell thick)
2. Has microscopic projections

To increase the surface area for absorption.
called microvilli
To transport the absorbed substances (glucose,
3. Contains a network of capillaries amino acids, salts & water-soluble vitamins B & C)
and thereby maintain a concentration gradient.
To absorb and transport fatty acids and glycerol &

4. Contains lacteal
fat-soluble vitamins A & D to the lymphatic system.
5. Carrier proteins in the cell

To help in active uptake.
membrane of epithelial cells
6. Epithelial cells contain a lot of

To supply the energy needed for active transport.
mitochondria
2020-2021 Page 15
To complete the process of digestion of large

7. Immobilized enzymes
molecules such as sucrose and maltose.
This table summarizes the process of digestion
2020-2021 Page 16
Dialysis/visking tubing is an artificial membrane,

which is often used in experiments to represent the
wall of the small intestine. It is a partially
permeable membrane with small holes which allow
small molecules to pass through, just as the cells of
the small intestine allow small molecules to pass
through them into the blood.
A student investigated the diffusion of glucose
through dialysis tubing by using the apparatus
shown below. The student took samples of the water outside the dialysis tubing at 5-
minute intervals and tested the samples for the presence of sugars with Benedict’s
solution. The results are shown in the table.
At the beginning, there was no sugar outside and starch cannot diffuse as it is too
large, so the color of benedict’s test was blue. As the time passed, the enzyme digests
the starch and the sugars formed diffuse out. After 15 minutes, the red colour indicates
that there is a high concentration of sugar due to the digestion of all the starch by the
enzyme.
ROLE OF HEPATIC PORTAL VEIN
❖ The products of food digestion (glucose, amino acids, water soluble vitamins &
minerals) enter the blood capillaries which join to form the hepatic portal vein.
❖ The hepatic portal vein transports absorbed food from the small intestine to the liver.
❖ After a meal, the blood in this vein contains very high concentrations of glucose and
amino acids, vitamins and minerals and CO2.
❖ The liver reduces the levels back to normal by storing excess sugars and fats.
2020-2021 Page 17
❖ The liver breaks down excess amino acids and eliminates them along with other
toxins such as alcohol and drugs.
5. LARGE INTESTINE
a) Colon
❖ From the small intestine, the remaining food products pass into the large intestine.
❖ The first portion of the large intestine is the colon. The main function of the
colon is to absorb water. Colon absorbs 0.3-0.5 dm3 of water per day by osmosis.
❖ No digestive enzymes are secreted.
❖ There are many types of bacteria living in the colon. These bacteria are an
important source of vitamins, such as K and B12.
❖ The last portion of the large intestine is the rectum which stores faeces.
❖ Faeces are normally about 75% water and 25% solid matter which consists of
✓ Cellulose and Lignin– found in plant cell walls
✓ Bile pigments – give color to faeces
✓ Bacteria – found in large intestine
✓ Intestinal cells – which break off as food
moves through the lumen
b) Rectum
❖ The faeces is stored and compacted in the rectum and are then passed out of the
body through the anus. This process is called egestion or defecation.
b) Anus It is the opening through which egestion of faeces occurs.
As shown in the figure on the right, the alimentary canal of herbivores like rabbits is
longer than carnivores like insect-eating bats. This is because plant material has
cellulose and lignin which take a longer time to be digested. A longer alimentary canal
also means there is more time for absorption of
food.
2020-2021 Page 18
LACTOSE INTOLERANCE
• Lactose intolerance is the inability to break down a type of natural sugar called
lactose, which is commonly found in dairy products, such as milk, yogurt, etc.
• A person becomes lactose intolerant when his or her small intestine stops making
enough of the enzyme lactase to digest and break down the lactose.
• As lactose is not digested in the small intestine, the bacteria residing in the large
intestine digest it and produce gases, which causes bloating and pain in the
abdomen.
• A person who is lactose intolerant will experience one or more of the following
symptoms 30 minutes to two hours after consuming milk or milk-based products:
1. Abdominal pain or cramps
2. Rumbling or gurgling sounds in the stomach
3. Diarrhea and gas
2020-2021 Page 19
CHOLERA
• It is a disease caused by a bacterium called Vibrio cholerae.
1. Bacteria enter the body through contaminated food or

water and attach/bind to the wall of the small intestine.
2. They produce and secrete toxins (poisons).
3. The toxins stimulate the cells lining the intestine to release
chloride ions from inside the cells into the lumen of the
intestine by active transport.
4. The chloride ions accumulate in the lumen of the small intestine and lower the
water potential there.
5. Now, as the water potential is lower in the lumen of the intestine than inside the
cells of the intestine, water starts to move out of the cells into the lumen of the
intestine by osmosis. This also causes the water from surrounding tissues and
blood to move out by osmosis into the lumen of the intestine.
6. Large quantities of water are lost from the body in the form of watery faeces which
is known as diarrhoea.
As a result of diarrhoea, the blood contains too little chloride ions and water. The loss
of body fluids and salts lead to dehydration, severe cramps in the abdomen and may
lead to heart failure, kidney failure and death in some cases.
2020-2021 Page 20
TREATMENT AND CONTROL

• Treatment involves rehydration and restoration of the salts lost by ORT and use of an
antibiotic to kill the bacteria.
• The bacteria thrive in dirty water that is contaminated by sewage and is transmitted
when the water is drunk or is used to wash food. Long-term methods of control
include safe disposal of raw sewage.
• Drinking water must be boiled and then used after cooling to kill any bacteria that
might be present.
ORAL REHYDRATION THERAPY (ORT)
• Oral Rehydration Therapy is used to treat diarrhoea.
• It is a simple treatment consisting of a drink with a mixture of salts and sugars
dissolved in boiled and cooled water.
• It is essential to replace the lost water and ions especially sodium (Na+) and
potassium (K+) lost from the body.
• Simply drinking water is ineffective.
2020-2021 Page 21
PAST PAPERS QUESTION LIST

Year Paper-1 Paper-2 Paper-3 Paper-6
Jun-02 15 7ab 3 3
Nov-02 - 9ab 3 3
Jun-03 13,17 6 - -
Nov-03 12 - - -
Jun-04 - - - -
Nov-04 16 - 3 -
Jun-05 14 - - -
Nov-05 12 - - -
Jun-06 11 8 - -
Nov-06 6,13,16 6 - -
Jun-07 15 - - -
Nov-07 13 - 2ab/32 -
Jun-08 13 3 - -
Nov-08 13 - - -
Jun-09 - - - -
Nov-09 - 4a - -
Jun-10 - 7/21 - 1b/62
Nov-10 13,14 1/22 - -
Jun-11 14 - 1abe/31,5/32 -
Nov-11 7,11,13,16 9/21 - -
Jun-12 12,18,20 - 1ab/31,1/32,4abd/33 -
Nov-12 - - - -
Jun-13 15 3/21,5/23 5/31,5/32 -
Nov-13 15/33 9d/21 - -
Jun-14 14/11,12,14/12 6/21,2/23 5/32 1g/61
Nov-14 12,13/11, 6/21
March-15 15/11, 7/22
Nov-15 14/12,15,17/13 2/21,2b/22,3b/23
Year Paper 1 Paper 3
June-16 14,15,16/11,12,13
March-16 9,10,13,14,15/12 3b,c/32
June-17 12,-14/11;11,13,14/12;12-14/13 8/31;2/32;4/33
March-17 13/12 -
Nov-17 3,9,11/11;14,16;12;10,11,12,15,16/13 -
June-18 14/12,13 6/31;4/32;8/33
March-18 12/12 -
Nov-18 13,14/11,12,13 4/31;
June 19 14,15/11,12,13-15/13 3/31,1/32,1/33
March 19 13/12 1/32
Year Paper 2 Paper 4 Paper 6
June 16 13,14,15/21 2b,c,d/42
14,15,16/22,23 6/43
March 16 9.11.14.15/22 5/42
June-17 12-14/21;12-15/22; 1/41;42;4d,6d,e/42 2/63
12-15/23
March-17 11,13/22 6/42 -
Nov-17 14/21;14/22;9,13,14/23 1/41;5/42; -
2020-2021 Page 22
June-18 13/22;14,23 1b/41;1/42;2/43 -

March 18 12/22 1d/42 -
Nov-18 13,14/21,22,23 6/43 -
June 19 14,15/21,13-15/22,23 -
March 19 14/22
2020-2021 Page 23
Choose the correct answer

1. The diagram shows the human gut.
Which numbered structures secrete digestive enzymes?

A 1, 2, 3 and 4
B 1, 2, 3 and 6
C 2, 3, 4 and 5
D 2, 3, 5 and 6
2. The diagram shows part of the alimentary canal and associated organs.
A. Amylase will not be produced

B. Fat will not be emulsified
C. Insulin injections will be need
D. Protein digestion will stop
2020-2021 Page 24
3. The diagram shows a section through a villus in the small intestine. Which arrow shows the site of
absorption for the named substances?
4. When a child sucks a sweet it may stay in their mouth for some time. How does this contribute to tooth
decay?
A. The sugar in the sweet stops bacteria from growing.
B. The teeth are damaged by acid being produced in the mouth.
C. The teeth are damaged by alkali being produced in the mouth.
D. The teeth are damaged by artificial flavourings in the sweet.
5. Which statements are true of constipation and diarrhoea?
6. Humans cannot digest fibre. This means that fibre

A cannot pass along the intestines
B makes up most of the faeces
C creates acid conditions in the stomach
D stimulates the release of enzymes from the liver
7. 1, 2 and 3 are definitions of types of egestion.

1 normal elimination of faeces from the rectum
2 frequent passage of watery stools
3 infrequent passage of hard stools
Which defines defecation, constipation and diarrhoea?
2020-2021 Page 25
8. Which diagram represents the digestion of food molecules in the alimentary canal?
9. What are the advantages of chewing food at the start of digestion?
10.
11.
2020-2021 Page 26
12.
13.
2020-2021 Page 27
15.
2020-2021 Page 28
Answer the following questions

1
2020-2021 Page 29
2020-2021 Page 30
2020-2021 Page 31
2020-2021 Page 32
2020-2021 Page 33
2020-2021 Page 34
2020-2021 Page 35
6.
2020-2021 Page 36

Alwadi International School Grade 9 Biology 7. Human Nutrition Notes

Uploaded by

Copyright:

Available Formats

You might also like

Alwadi International School Grade 9 Biology 7. Human Nutrition Notes

Uploaded by

Document Information

Original Description:

Original Title

Copyright

Available Formats

Share this document

Share or Embed Document

Sharing Options

Did you find this document useful?

Is this content inappropriate?

Copyright:

Available Formats

Alwadi International School Grade 9 Biology 7. Human Nutrition Notes

Uploaded by

Copyright:

Available Formats

ALWADI INTERNATIONAL SCHOOL GRADE 9 BIOLOGY 7.

HUMAN NUTRITION NOTES

7.2 ALIMENTARY CANAL

Food in our digestive system passes through 5 main phases:

2. DIGESTION: The breakdown of large, insoluble food molecules into smaller,

MAIN REGIONS OF THE ALIMENTARY CANAL AND THEIR FUNCTIONS.

❖ Mechanical digestion/chewing by teeth produces a food bolus. Formation of a bolus

1. Enzyme-salivary amylase for chemical breakdown of starch to maltose.

The table below describes the different parts of teeth

Part Composition and function

Enamel • Covers the crown

Gums • Soft tissue which surrounds the teeth.

Human jaws and teeth Teeth in the upper jaw

Type of Number in Feature Function

Canines 2 • Long & pointed • Tearing and ripping

Premolars 4 • Have raised parts • crush & grind food

Molars 4/6 • Have raised parts • crush & grind food

PROCESS OF TOOTH DECAY/DENTAL DECAY

PROPER CARE OF TEETH TO PREVENT TOOTH DECAY

1. Avoid lots of sugary foods & sweet drinks.

❖ Stomach is a large muscular sac-like organ in the alimentary canal. Chemical

1. Pepsin: A protease enzyme, which starts the digestion of proteins, changing

✓ Food is changed into a soft semi-fluid mixture called chyme, by combination of

• An ache or burning sensation in your abdomen.

For some people, an infection can lead to stomach cancer.

❖ The duodenum forms the first part of the

❖ Liver produces bile.

❖ Ileum is the second part of the small intestine. It is

Enzymes involved in chemical digestion of food

Enzyme Place of secretion Function

Amylase Pancreas Breaks down starch to maltose

Trypsin Pancreas Breaks down polypeptides to amino acids

Lipase Pancreas Breaks down fats to fatty acids and glycerol

Epithelial cells of small

❖ The wall of the ileum is adapted for efficient absorption as it is:

It is very long – almost 6 meters To give enough time for absorption.

Significance of villi and microvilli

STRUCTURAL ADAPTATION FUNCTION

2. Has microscopic projections

To transport the absorbed substances (glucose,

and thereby maintain a concentration gradient.

To absorb and transport fatty acids and glycerol &

5. Carrier proteins in the cell

6. Epithelial cells contain a lot of

To complete the process of digestion of large

This table summarizes the process of digestion

Dialysis/visking tubing is an artificial membrane,

• It is a disease caused by a bacterium called Vibrio cholerae.

1. Bacteria enter the body through contaminated food or

TREATMENT AND CONTROL

PAST PAPERS QUESTION LIST

June-18 13/22;14,23 1b/41;1/42;2/43 -

Choose the correct answer

Which numbered structures secrete digestive enzymes?

A. Amylase will not be produced

5. Which statements are true of constipation and diarrhoea?

6. Humans cannot digest fibre. This means that fibre