The document summarizes the process of digestion in the human digestive system. Food is broken down through both mechanical and chemical digestion as it passes through the mouth, esophagus, stomach, small intestine, large intestine, rectum, and anus. In the mouth, teeth and tongue break down food while saliva begins chemical digestion. The stomach further breaks down food through mixing and digestive juices. Nutrients are then absorbed in the small intestine where other digestive juices aid in the breakdown of fat and nutrients pass into the bloodstream. Remaining waste is moved to the large intestine where water is absorbed before solid waste exits through the rectum and anus.

1. The Digestive System:
Process of Digestion
7SCIENCE Fri. Nov. 12

2. What happens in digestion?
• When food enters the mouth it is beginning
the process of digestion
• Two types:
– Mechanical
• Food is chewed and mixed in the mouth and mixes in
your stomach
– Chemical
• Breaks food down into many different, smaller parts so
they may be used by cells
• Takes place in the mouth, stomach and small intestine

3. In your mouth
• Tongue and teeth break food into smaller
pieces
• Tongue moves food around and mixes with
saliva
– Saliva is a type of
enzyme (chemical)
in the digestive
system that helps
to break food
down faster

4. In your esophagus and stomach
• No digestion takes place in the esophagus, food is
only moved to the stomach
• In the stomach, mechanical and
chemical digestion takes place
– Mechanical: food is mixed by
muscular walls
– Chemical: digestive juices break
down food
• Food takes about 4 hours to move
through your stomach!

5. In your small intestine
• In the small intestine: Other digestive
juices are added from the liver and
pancreas to break up nutrients like fat
– Think about adding soap to a
greasy/fatty plate
• Villi (finger-like) line the small intestine walls and nutrients
from
the small intestine
enter your blood
through the villi by
diffusion and osmosis

6. In your large intestine, rectum and
anus
• The remaining food particles enter
the large intestine and their main
job is to absorb the water from
the waste
• The solid waste is moved to the rectum and
when it is ready to be released, moves out the
anus