Science

(Form 4)
Nutrition
https://quizizz.com/admin/quiz/57e020c53cfa65129b26e256/6-essential-nutrients

Digestion
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X3TAROotFfM&t=10s

Digestion is the process by which complex organic food substances are broken down into
simpler inorganic ones.

Types of digestion:

Mechanical digestion – the physical act of breaking down food to increase its surface
area e.g. by using the teeth, muscles of stomach walls etc.

Chemical digestion – the chemical change of food by using enzymes & water or acids
to break them down

Task: https://www.liveworksheets.com/worksheets/en/Science/Digestive_system/
Label_the_Digestive_System_cy1281651ry

Draw and label the diagram of the human digestive system below.
Include a title in capital letters at the bottom of your diagram.

Digestion explained
Mouth:
- Food is mechanically digested by the teeth, then rolled into a bolus by the tongue and
pushed to the back of the throat (aka the pharynx)
- Food is chemically digested by the enzyme salivary amylase
- Salivary amylase is responsible for breaking down starch to maltose
- Salivary amylase has an alkaline to neutral pH
- The epiglottis - prevents food from entering the trachea

Oesophagus:
- Food is mechanically moved by wave-like contractions and relaxations of the circular
muscles of the oesophagus. This is known as peristalsis. This process takes food from
the mouth to the stomach.
- No chemical digestion occurs here.

Stomach:
- Food is mechanically digested by the churning of the muscular walls of the stomach
- Food is chemically digested by gastric juice
- Gastric juice is made up of hydrochloric acid (HCl), mucus, enzymes: pepsin &
rennin
- Pepsin is an enzyme responsible for breaking down large proteins into polypeptides
- Rennin is an enzyme responsible for the clotting of milk in babies (converts casein
into caseinogen)
- Hydrochloric acid (HCl):
1. Stops the action of salivary amylase entering from the bolus
2. Destroys harmful micro-organisms entering the stomach
3. Creates an acidic environment for the enzymes above to work
- Mucus - sticky to trap micro-organisms

- A structure known as the pyloric sphincter is a muscle found at the base of the
stomach which contracts and relaxes to control food leaving the stomach

Pancreas:
- Produces pancreatic juice, which is made of the enzymes trypsin, amylase & lipase
- Pancreatic juice is secreted into the duodenum (1st part of the small intestine)
- Pancreatic juice has an alkaline pH

Liver:
- Makes bile for the emulsification of fats - It breaks fats into tiny droplets by lowering
its surface tension.

Define the following:

Assimilation
Deamination

Gall bladder:
- Stores and concentrates the bile that was produced by the liver

Small intestine:
a) Duodenum:
 - Secretes intestinal juice made of the enzymes maltase, peptidase, lipase etc.
Intestinal enzymes:
- Maltase breaks down maltose into glucose
- Peptidase breaks down peptides into amino acids
- Lipase breaks fats into fatty acids and glycerol

- Receives pancreatic juice from the duodenum and bile from the gall bladder
Pancreatic enzymes:
- Trypsin breaks down peptones into peptides
- Amylase continues the digestion of starch to maltose

Bile from the gall bladder:

- Bile neutralizes the acid from the stomach
- It also emulsifies fats i.e. breaks fats into tiny droplets to increase the surface area for
the lipase enzyme to act
- There are alkaline conditions here

b) Ileum:
- Some intestinal juice is secreted here
- Responsible for the absorption of most nutrients: glucose, amino acids, fatty acids &
glycerol, vitamins, minerals
- Contains structures called villi to increase the surface area for absorption of nutrients

Large intestine:
Colon:
- No enzymes are produced here
- Mainly responsible for the absorption of large amounts of water from the remaining
food

Rectum:
- Faeces (made of undigested food) are formed and stored here until ready for
defecation

Here are a few structures which aid in the efficiency of the digestive system.

Villi

Villi are tiny, finger-like projections found in the ileum of the small intestine. Villi are
responsible for increasing the surface area for the absorption of nutrients. This means that as
much nutrients can be absorbed here as possible because of the large number of villi present
in the ileum. More villi lead to maximum absorption. (NB. Large organisms, like humans, have a
small surface area to volume ratio)

Take a look at the following:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?
v=6nonjzzCSUU&t=17s

Key to note:
villus – singular villi – plural
*The thin epithelium
(pronounced epi-thee-leeum)
is also called the epithelial wall.

Summary of digestion: NB. All end products are highlighted in red while all enzymes
are highlighted in green.

starch proteins fats

salivary
amylase pepsin lipase

maltose polypeptides fatty acids + glycerol

maltase proteases (trypsin etc.)

glucose amino acids

The three main end products of digestion are therefore:

1. glucose – the result of the breakdown of starch
2. amino acids – the result of the breakdown of proteins
3. fatty acids and glycerol – the result of the breakdown of fats

These end products are absorbed in various parts of a villus.

 (1) Glucose, (2) amino acids AND water-soluble vitamins pass through the thin
epithelial villus wall and are then absorbed in the blood capillary.
 (3) Fatty acids, glycerol AND fat-soluble vitamins pass through the thin epithelial
wall and are absorbed into the lacteal.

Adaptations of Villi

 Villi are abundant – this increases the surface area for absorption of nutrients
 Villi have thin epithelial walls (one cell thick) – this allows substances to diffuse
easily and quickly into the blood vessels & lacteal
 Villi have a large network of blood capillaries/vessels– this allows for maximum
absorption and transportation of nutrients
 Villi have tiny structures called microvilli on their walls – this further increases the
surface area for the absorption of nutrients

 Ileum is very long – this allows maximum absorption of nutrients