Digestion_absorption_and_assimilation_ppt.pptVIP

Digestion, absorption and assimilation Digestion The purpose of digestion is to break down food into small soluble molecules The purpose of digestion is to break down food into small soluble molecules The purpose of digestion is to break down food into small soluble molecules The purpose of digestion is to break down food into small soluble molecules The purpose of digestion is to break down food into small soluble molecules The purpose of digestion is to break down food into small soluble molecules The purpose of digestion is to break down food into small soluble molecules The purpose of digestion is to break down food into small soluble molecules The purpose of digestion is to break down food into small soluble molecules The purpose of digestion is to break down food into small soluble molecules Absorption Soluble molecules can pass through the wall of the intestine Next to the intestines run many capillaries The soluble molecules pass through the wall of the capillary and into the blood So that as many soluble food molecules as possible are absorbed, the small intestine must have a large surface area This is achieved by the following ways It is very long (6 m) The walls are very thin (only one cell thick) It has a good blood supply to maintain a concentration gradient The surface of the small intestine is not flat, it is folded to make thousands of villi The villi are covered in microvilli Amino acids, sugars, fatty acids and glycerol molecules diffuse through the wall of the villus into the blood Fatty acids and glycerol are also absorbed into the lacteal, which joins up with the lymphatic system (full of lymph) The lymph and the blood transport the food away, maintaining a concentration gradient Assimilation The blood from the intestinal area goes first to the liver, which regulates the amount of blood sugar The blood is then transported all over the body and the soluble food diffuses into cells that need it - the food is assimilated * Lipase Mouth and small i