Question

After food enters the gastrointestinal tract, which process uses enzymes, bile, and other compounds to break the food down into smaller units that can be absorbed by the body?

Answer 1

Chemical digestion is the process of breaking down food into absorbable units using enzymes, bile, and other compounds, primarily occurring in the small intestine. It starts with ingestion in the mouth and involves both mechanical and chemical digestions, with nutrients being absorbed in the small intestine.

Step-by-step explanation:

The process that uses enzymes, bile, and other compounds to break down food into smaller units that can be absorbed by the body is known as chemical digestion. It involves the breakdown of large food molecules like proteins, lipids, nucleic acids, and starches into their smaller subunits. This process is facilitated by hydrolysis reactions catalyzed by various digestive enzymes. The small intestine, particularly the jejunum, is the primary site for the absorption of nutrients, where the intestinal brush border enzymes and pancreatic enzymes are heavily involved in chemical digestion.

The first step, ingestion, starts in the mouth where mechanical digestion (chewing) and chemical digestion (by enzymes in saliva) begin. The food, now in the form of a bolus, travels through the alimentary canal where it is further mechanically and chemically digested. Bile produced by the liver and stored in the gallbladder is essential for the digestion of fats.Absorption of the resulting small molecules occurs in the small intestine, facilitated by the intestinal villi. Substances like water, electrolytes, and vitamins are absorbed, while indigestible residues eventually move on to the large intestine.

Answer 2

Digestion

Step-by-step explanation:

Digestion is the process of breaking down the food particles into smaller units by chewing them and mixing them with saliva in the mouth. The digestive system in humans includes the gastrointestinal tract as well as the accessory organs of the digestion process. The food chewed down by the teeth are assimilated and absorbed by our body.

Food enters through the gastrointestinal tract where different enzymes and bile juices break down the food to be absorbed by our body. This process is called digestion process.