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Food Enters Mouth - Amylase
Present in the Salivary glands, pancrease and small intestine, Amylase breaks down starch into smaller disaccardes. -
Period: to
The Digestive Process
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Bolus Enters Stomach - Pepsinogen, HCL, Pepsin, Renin,
An inactive enzyme called Pepsinogen reacts with Hydrochloric Acid (HCl) and turns into Pepsin. Pepsin's main function is to break down different proteins into amino acids. It works with other enzymes in the process of breaking proteins into amino acids. -
Renin and Milk
Renin is an enzyme which turns milk proteins into peptides (molecules made up of 2 or more amino acids) which are then broken down by Pepsin. -
Other functions of HCl
HCl is repsonsible for turning Pepsinogen into active Pepsin, but it also acts as a way to kill any pathogens, disease carrying organisms or particles on the food we eat. The acid also dissolves the bolus, turning it into chyme. -
Chyme into the Duodenum - Trypsinogen, Enterokinase, Trypsin, Pancrease Produces Enzymes
Trypsinogen, much like Pepsinogen is an inactive enzyme. It reacts with Enterokinase and turns into Trypsin. Trypsin continues the work of Pepsin by breaking down remaining proteins into smaller polypeptide units. -
Duodenum - Pancreatic Enzymes
Many enzymes produces by the Pancreas are released and flow into the duodenum. Lactase takes lactose from dairy products and converts it into glucose and galactose. Lipase breaks lipids (fats) that are first broken down by bile salts from long chaings of molecules to smaller and smaller individual fatty acid molecules. Erepsin breaks polypeptides created by typsin into amino acids. -
Neutralization
Sodium Bicarbonate (a base) neutralizes acidic material in the duodenum with a neutralization reaction. -
Bile Salts
Bile from the Gall Bladder emulsify fats into small globules which are then digested by lipase. -
Small Intestine - The final enzymes
Due to the pH in the small intestine being around 7, amylase is able to continue to function. It also creates Maltose, which the enzyme Maltase converts into glucose. Sucrase turns sucrose into glucose and fructose for the body to use. Peptidase completes the digestions of peptides (chains of amino acids) into individual molecules for the body to use. -
Phosphatases
Removes a phosphate group from organic compounds through hydrolysis (cleavage of chemical bonds by adding water).
