Biology – Human Digestion and Absorption
* Digestion is the process of conversion of complex food substances to simple absorbable forms is called digestion.
* When the process of digestion occurs within the cell in the food vacuole, it is called Intracellular.
Protozoa, Porifera, Coelenterata and free living Platyhelminthes are some examples of this type.
* When the process of digestion occurs outside the cell,it is called Extracellular. Examples are Coelenterates and phylum Platyhelminthes to phylum Chordata.
Digestive Glands are Salivary glands –
Characteristic features of Salivary glands –
* These are the glands with ducts which also secrete amylase.
* These are the exocrine glands that produce saliva.
* Amylase is an enzyme that breaks down starch into maltose.
* Three types of salivary glands are as follows-
They are Parotid gland, Submandibular gland and Sublingual gland
Pancreas –
* It produces several important hormones like insulin, glucagon, somatostatin and pancreatic polypeptide.
*Complete digestive juice is pancreatic juice as it contains amylolytic, lipolytic and proteolytic enzymes.
Liver –
* It is the largest digestive gland of the body .It weighs about 1.2 to 1.5 Kg in an adult human.
* It helps in protein synthesis.
* It is situated in the abdominal cavity, just below the diaphragm
*It detoxifies various metabolites
Related posts: