Final answer:
Mixing and storing foods involves ingestion, churning in the stomach, and passage into the small intestine. The small intestine completes digestion and facilitates absorption through structural adaptations and mechanical movements.
Step-by-step explanation:
The processes involved in mixing and storing foods include ingestion, in which food enters the alimentary canal through the mouth and is chewed and mixed with saliva.
The stomach then vigorously churns the food and secretes gastric juices to break it down. The stomach also stores the food as chyme. The passage of food into the small intestine is facilitated by the pyloric sphincter, which releases chyme into the small intestine.
In the small intestine, digestion is completed and absorption occurs. Structural adaptations like circular folds, villi, and microvilli increase the mucosal surface area and facilitate absorption. The small intestine also performs unique mechanical digestive movements such as segmentation and migrating motility complexes.
Overall, the processes involved in mixing and storing foods, dissolving and degrading food via secretions, and the passage of food into the small intestine are essential for digestion and absorption in the human body.