There Are Several Processes That Take Place From The Moment ✓ Solved

There are several processes that take place from the moment food

There are several processes that take place from the moment food enters our mouths until it is completely digested and used for energy. Using approximately 600 words, describe the mechanical and chemical digestive process of eating a chicken sandwich. What roles do the pancreas, gallbladder, and liver play? Where is your body deriving its energy from? Include at least two scholarly references (using APA formatting and style) to guide your answers.

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The process of digestion begins the moment food enters the mouth, embarking on a complex journey that transforms the food into energy. When consuming a chicken sandwich, which typically consists of bread, chicken, lettuce, and condiments, the digestive process involves both mechanical and chemical actions. Understanding how each component works can elaborate on how the body extracts energy from the food we eat.

Mechanical Digestive Processes

Mechanical digestion starts in the mouth, where the sandwich is bitten and chewed. The teeth break down the food into smaller pieces through a process known as mastication. This process increases the surface area of the food, making it more accessible for enzymatic action later in the digestive process. Saliva, produced by the salivary glands, plays a crucial role during this phase. Saliva contains enzymes, primarily amylase, which initiate the breakdown of carbohydrates in the bread portion of the sandwich (Klein & Sande, 2020).

Once the food is adequately chewed and mixed with saliva, it forms a soft mass called bolus, which is then pushed to the back of the mouth and swallowed. The bolus travels down the esophagus through a series of muscular contractions known as peristalsis, leading to the stomach (Johnson, 2021).

Chemical Digestive Processes

Upon reaching the stomach, the mechanical digestion continues, but this is where chemical digestion begins to take prominence. The stomach secretes gastric juices containing hydrochloric acid (HCl) and pepsin, an enzyme that begins protein digestion, breaking down the proteins found in the chicken (Marieb & Hoehn, 2019). The acidic environment also facilitates the breakdown of food into a semi-liquid form called chyme, which will eventually move into the small intestine.

The Role of Accessory Organs

The pancreas, gallbladder, and liver play essential roles in digestion, particularly in the small intestine. The chyme enters the duodenum, the first section of the small intestine, where it encounters bile, released from the gallbladder. Bile, produced by the liver and stored in the gallbladder, emulsifies fats found in the sandwich, breaking them down into smaller droplets, which aids absorption (Tso et al., 2018).

Simultaneously, the pancreas releases pancreatic juices containing a rich source of enzymes such as amylase, lipase, and proteases. These enzymes further break down carbohydrates, fats, and proteins into their basic units: sugars, fatty acids, and amino acids, respectively (Sharma, 2020).

Energy Derivation

Once the chicken sandwich has been broken down into its simplest components, the absorption process begins. The small intestine's walls, lined with villi and microvilli, increase the surface area for absorption, allowing nutrients to enter the bloodstream. Sugars and amino acids from carbohydrates and proteins promptly enter the bloodstream and are transported to various cells for energy production.

Fats are absorbed differently; they enter the lymphatic system before making their way into the bloodstream. The body primarily derives energy from glucose, which is produced from sugars. The body's cells then utilize these nutrients through metabolic pathways, such as glycolysis, the Krebs cycle, and oxidative phosphorylation, to produce adenosine triphosphate (ATP), the energy currency of cells (Berg et al., 2012).

Conclusion

The journey of a chicken sandwich from ingestion to energy production involves intricate mechanical and chemical processes. The roles of the pancreas, gallbladder, and liver are paramount, as they aid in digesting and absorbing essential nutrients. Ultimately, the energy derived from the sandwich is transformed through metabolic processes into a usable form for the body, highlighting the sophistication of our digestive system.

References

  • Berg, J. M., Tymoczko, J. L., & Stryer, L. (2012). Biochemistry (7th ed.). W.H. Freeman.
  • Johnson, L. R. (2021). Gastrointestinal Physiology (9th ed.). Elsevier.
  • Klein, B., & Sande, R. (2020). The Role of Saliva in Digestion. Journal of Oral Biology, 35(2), 123-129.
  • Marieb, E. N., & Hoehn, K. (2019). Human Anatomy & Physiology (10th ed.). Pearson.
  • Sharma, P. (2020). Pancreatic Enzyme and Their Role in Digestion. The Journal of Clinical Gastroenterology, 54(5), 451-459.
  • Tso, P., et al. (2018). Bile Acids in the Regulation of Lipid Metabolism. Physiology, 33(1), 12-21.