Digestive System Notes 

Mouth 
Vocabulary 
Mechanical Digestion 
● Physically breaking down food into smaller pieces
● Begins in the mouth by chewing
● Teeth aid in the process of mechanical digestion

Chemical Digestion 
● Chemically breaking down food into smaller pieces
● Begins in the mouth by saliva

Teeth 
● Hard, bony structures in the jaw, used for biting and chewing
● Adults have 32 teeth

Incisors 
➔ Teeth which cut food
➔ Center teeth

Canine 
➔ Teeth which tear and slash
➔ Next to the Incisors

Molars/Premolars 
➔ Teeth which crush and grind the food
➔ Teeth next to the Canine

Mouth 
● The opening in the lower part of the human face, where food is taken in and digestion
begins

Saliva 
● Watery liquid
● Secreted (produced and discharged) into the mouth by salivary glands
● Chemical digestion
● Begins by digesting carbohydrates

Starches 
● An odorless tasteless white substance occurring widely in plant tissue
● Part of the carbohydrates nutrient
● Begins to be digested in the mouth
Enzymes 
● Proteins that speed up chemical reactions in the body
● Liquids that digest foods

Amylase 
● An enzyme found in saliva which converts starches into simple sugars

Epiglottis 
● A flap of cartilage at the root of the tongue, which moves downward to cover the
windpipe (trachea) when swallowing.

Salivary Gland 
● Glands that discharge saliva into the mouth cavity
● 1.5 liters of saliva discharged a day

3 salivary glands 
➔ Parotid gland
➔ Sublingual gland
➔ Submandibular gland

Mucus 
● A slimy substance secreted by mucous membranes
● Used for lubrication of the tubes
● Used for the protection of the stomach (further talked about in the stomach section)

Peristalsis 
● The involuntary constriction and relaxation of the muscles of the intestine or another
canal
● Creates wave like movements that push the contents (food) forward

Esophagus 
● A muscular tube that connects the mouth to the stomach

Salivary duct 
● Carries the saliva from the salivary gland to the mouth

Trachea 
● A large tube
● Reinforced by cartilage
● Conveys air to and from the lungs
● Windpipe
● Covered by the epiglottis when swallowing

Bolus 
● A ball of chewed up food about to be swallowed
● What food is called in the mouth
 ● The bolus triggers a swallowing reflex

Oral cavity 
● The part of the mouth that is behind the teeth and gums

Pharynx 
● Membrane lined cavity
● Behind nose and mouth
● Connects nose and mouth to the esophagus

Larynx 
● The hollow muscular organ forming an air passage to the lungs and holding the vocal
cords
● The voice box

Summary 
Digestion begins in the mouth. Mechanical digestion begins, in which your teeth break down
the food. The food gets reduced in size. Your salivary glands produce saliva, which soaks into
the food. An enzyme called amylase is in your saliva. It turns starches into simple sugars. This
process is called chemical digestion. When you swallow, your epiglottis covers your windpipe.
Your tongue pushes the bolus into the esophagus. The esophagus is a tube that connects your
mouth and stomach. Mucus lines the inside of the esophagus, which allows the bolus to slide
easily into the stomach. Peristalsis, or involuntary muscle contractions, push the food into the
stomach.

Other 
● 11cm long

Stomach 
Vocabulary 
Mechanical Digestion 
● See mouth section
● Mechanical digestion is done by three different muscles churning and moving

Muscle Descriptions 
➔ Outer longitudinal layer
➔ Middle circular layer
➔ Inner oblique layer

Chemical Digestion 
● See mouth section
● Done by the gastric juices
Gastric juices 
Made up of…
➔ Hydrochloric Acid
➔ Pepsin

Chyme 
● After being in the stomach a while, the food turns into a thick creamy liquid called chyme
● The stomach version of Bolus

Esophagus 
● See mouth section

Pepsin 
● One of the ingredients of gastric juices
● An enzyme which breaks down proteins into polypeptides (all you need to know is that it
breaks proteins down)
● Pepsin does the most work in the stomach

Hydrochloric Acid 
● HCL
● An acid which makes up part of the gastric juices

Proteins 
● Proteins are digested in the stomach along with carbohydrates.

Sphincter 
● A muscle which guards an opening in a tube

Vomiting 
● The process by which the stomach rejects something, opens the esophageal sphincter,
and eliminates the food

Rennin 
● The enzyme which digests milk

Esophageal Sphincter 
● The sphincter in between the esophagus and stomach

Ulcer 
● A hole in the stomach
● Made when there isn’t enough mucus to protect the stomach

Heartburn 
● Happens when gastric juices back up into the lower esophagus
Other Notes 
● Stomach is a J-Shaped muscular pouch
● Located in abdomen
● Stomach expands to hold all your food
● Mucus covers the stomach’s insides. It protects it from beings digested by the gastric
juices.
● Gastric Juices aren’t produced until mucus is in place
● Esophagus is 25 cm long
● Stomach is 22 cm long

Summary 
After going through the esophageal sphincter, the food enters the stomach. It is now called
chyme. Mechanical digestion is done by 3 different muscles churning. Chemical digestion is
done by gastric juices. Gastric juices are made up of Hydrochloric acids and pepsin. Pepsin is
an enzyme which breaks proteins into polypeptides. It does the most digestive work in the
stomach.

Small Intestine 
Vocabulary 
Villi 
● Millions of them
● On the surface of the small intestine
● Finger-like structures
● The Villi absorb nutrient molecules
● The nutrients pass through the villi’s cells through the process of osmosis
● They go into the blood vessels.
● The blood carries the nutrients across the body.
● Villi increase the surface area

Liver 
● Located in the upper right portion of the abdomen
● Largest organ in the body
● Breaks down medicines
● Eliminates Nitrogen
● Produces bile

Gallbladder 
● Organ that stores bile made by the liver
● Beneath the liver
● Holds bile after secretion from the liver
Pancreas 
● Behind the stomach
● Triangular shaped organ
● Between stomach and duodenum
● Produces enzyme that flows into the small intestine through the pancreatic duct
● Produces 1.5 liters of pancreatic juice a day

Absorption 
● The process by which nutrient molecules pass through the wall of the digestive system
into the blood

Enzymes 
● Enzymes in the small intestine are specific and break down one type of nutrient

Bile 
● Produced by the liver
● Held in the gallbladder
● Secreted through the common bile duct and into the duodenum
● Bile is not an enzyme
● It breaks big fat droplets into smaller fat droplets
● Works like dishwasher detergent

Starches 
● Starches are broken down by pancreatic juice

Fats 
● Fat is broken down by bile into fatty acids and glycerol

Proteins 
● Proteins are digested by intestinal and pancreatic juices.
● They eventually break down into amino acids

Blood Vessels 
● A tubular structure that carries blood through tissues and organs

Pyloric Sphincter 
● The sphincter which is between the stomach and the small intestine

Duodenum 
● The first 25 cm of the small intestine

Jejunum 
● The second section of the small intestine

Ileum 
● The third part of the small intestine
Terminal Ileum 
● The end of the small intestine

Pancreatic Juice 
● A juice packed with enzymes that digest carbohydrates, proteins, and fat.
● Produced by the pancreas
● Pancreatic juice isn’t acidic. It is alkaline, or basic. It neutralizes the acid from the
stomach.

Pancreatic Duct 
● A duct connecting the pancreas and the duodenum
● Transports the pancreatic juice

Common Bile Duct 

● A duct connecting the gallbladder and the duodenum
● Transports the bile

Other Notes 
● The small intestine is 690 centimeters long
● It is called small not because of its length, but its diameter, which is 2.5 centimeters
● Almost all chemical digestion and absorption happens in the small intestine.

Summary 
After entering through the pyloric sphincter, it enters the duodenum, the first part of the small
intestine. The liver is located in the upper right portion of the abdomen. It produces bile which
is stored in the gallbladder. The gallbladder puts the bile into the small intestine through the
common bile duct. The bile breaks big fat droplets into smaller fat droplets. The pancreas
makes pancreatic juice. This juice is packed with enzymes which digest fats, proteins, and
starches. Villi, which are bumps on the surface of the small intestine, absorb the nutrients
through absorption, or osmosis. The nutrients are now in the blood vessels, where they are
transported through the body.