TEETH•Begin the process mechanical digestion (breaking the food down into smaller more manageable pieces) to assist in swallowing;• chopping, tearing and grinding)

TONGUE plays the role of movingthe food around the mouth papillae (upper surface

of the tongue, house the taste buds that allow us to taste food)

UVULA

hanging from the middle of the back edge of the soft palate which prevents food from entering the pharynx during swallowing

SALIVA•clear liquid secreted into the mouth by the salivary glands and mucous glands of the mouth; •moistens the mouth and starts the digestion of starches; •assist in the chemical process of digestion

BOLUS

•round mass of food that has been chewed to the point of swallowing

ESOPHAGUS

• Tube connecting the pharynx to the stomach;

• approximately 24 cm long; lined with circular and longitudinal muscles which work to move food down;

PERISTALSIS symmetrical

contraction of muscles which propagates in a wave down the esophagus to help propel food through the digestive tract)

STOMACH Muscular J shaped organ in which food is temporarily

stored while further chemical and mechanical digestion takes place;

walls are folded to allow distension; lined by gastric glands which secrete gastric juices

which aid in chemical digestion (HCl, salts, enzymes, water and mucous) stimulated by the presence of food;

mucous protects the surface of the stomach from the acidic gastric juice;

3 layers of muscle that relax and contract to churn stomach contents

CHYME thick liquid of partially digested food

mixed with gastric juices

CARDIAC SPHINCTER muscular valve at the

junction of the esophagus and the stomach;

controls the backflow of stomach contents back into the esophagus

PYLORIC SPHINCTER (muscular valve at the

lower end when closed helps keep the food in the stomach)

SMALL INTESTINES

DUODENUM

(the first part of the small intestine; “C” shaped)

JEJUNUMfollows the duodenum, approximately 2.5m long, contains many more folds than the duodenum

ILEUM3m long, functions to absorb nutrients and to push undigested food into the large intestine

VILLI(tiny finger like projections that increase the surface area)

MICROVILLI(each villi is in turn covered with many fine brush like microvilli that further increase the surface area)

LARGE INTESTINE•absorb nearly 90% of water from the alimentary canal; •contains anaerobic bacteria to help digest undigested material; •leftover material is referred to as feces which is pushed by muscular contractions into the rectum

CECUM

the cavity in which the large intestine begins and into which the ileum opens; "the appendix is an offshoot of the cecum

APPENDIXfinger like projection at the end of the cecum; no known function

ACENDING, TRANSVERSE AND DESCENDING COLON

ASCENDING COLON - part of the large intestine that ascends from the cecum to the transverse colonTRANSVERSE COLON - part of the large intestine that extends across the abdominal cavity and joins the ascending to the descending colonDESCENDING COLON - part of the large intestine that descends from the transverse colon

RECTUM, ANAL CANAL AND ANUS

RECTUM - the final part of the alimentary canal where waste is stored before being eliminated ANAL CANAL - the terminal part of the large intestineANUS - the excretory opening at the end of the alimentary canal

SALIVARY GLANDSPAROTID GLAND - the largest of the salivary glands located slightly below and in front of the 2 ears; a duct connects the gland to the oral cavity; produces the majority of salivaSUBLINGUAL GLAND - small salivary glands located under the tongue that secrete saliva directly into the mouth through a series of poresSUBMANDIBULAR GLAND -pair of glands located beneath the jaw which connect by a duct to the oral cavity;

LIVERLocated in the right upper quadrant just below the diaphragm

Produces bile, an alkaline substance which aids in digestion of fats acting as an emulsifying agent (breaks fat down into smaller particles that are more readily absorbed);

Some of the bile drains directly into the duodenum

LIVER Numerous function – detoxification,

production of bile (aids in digestion of fats), store glycogen; break down RBC,

Only internal human organ capable of regeneration

GALLBLADDERStores and concentrates bile produced by the liver and releases it through the common bile duct to the duodenum.

Humans can live without a gallbladder

PANCREAS

Glandular organ producing several important hormones, including insulin (use to move glucose from the blood into tissues) and glucagon (used to mobilize glucose from the tissues to the blood)

Secretes pancreatic juice containing digestive enzymes that pass to the small intestine.