Digestion Lab Report

Digestion define as a process where foods been breaking down by enzymatic action in the Gastrointestinal tract (GI tract) into nutrients in preparation for absorption. GI tract is the flexible muscular tube from mouth to anus. The digestion of carbohydrates begin in the mouth, where an enzyme, salivary amylase (α-amylase;ptyalin) starts to breaking the polysaccharides (starch) into short polysaccharides (dextrin). Dextrin is a partial degradation of starch, shorter chains of maltose units. Salivary amylase is inactivated by stomach acid in the stomach and to a small extent, it continues breaking down starch (but there’s no enzymatic activities on carbohydrates in the stomach). An intestinal enzyme, pancreatic amylase, continues the activity
Most of the carbohydrates have been digested in large intestine for about one to four hours. Primarily, carbohydrates absorption take place in the upper segment of the small intestine. Glucose and galactose is absorbed by active transport (Na-dependent) whereas fructose is absorbed by facilitated diffusion (independent of Na+). This will slower the process, therefore some fructose is metabolized into glucose in the absorptive cells. The monosaccharides produce from digestion process are then absorbed into mucosal cell and enter the blood stream, which carries them to the liver via hepatic portal circulation (capillaries of the intestinal villi). In the liver, galactose and fructose are converted to glucose or further metabolized forming a glycogen and fat. Glucose will go into part of the body where it is most needed as source of energy or to be made into glycogen which can converted to glucose or stored as fat. Hormone insulin help glucose to facilitated into body cells, where it is used for energy or stored as glycogen. If carbohydrates are consumed in great excess and overall kcalorie needs are