Digestion and Absorption Question Answers: NCERT Class 11 Biology

(a): (i) Pepsin, lipase, and rennin

Gastric juice contains pepsin, lipase, and rennin. Pepsin is secreted in an inactive form as pepsinogen, which is activated by HCl. Pepsin digests proteins into peptones. Lipase breaks down fats into fatty acids. Rennin is a proteolytic enzyme present in the gastric juice. It helps in the coagulation of milk.

(b): (ii) Intestinal juice

Succus entericus is another name for intestinal juice. It is secreted by the intestinal gland. Intestinal juice contains a variety of enzymes such as maltase, lipases, nucleosidases, dipeptidases, etc.

Hydrochloric acid is secreted by the glands present on the stomach walls. It dissolves bits of food and creates an acidic medium. The acidic medium allows pepsinogen to be converted into pepsin. Pepsin plays an important role in the digestion of proteins. Therefore, if HCl were not secreted in the stomach, then pepsin would not be activated. This would affect protein digestion. A pH of about 1.8 is necessary for proteins to be digested. This pH is achieved by HCl.

Digestion of fats:

Butter is a fat product and gets digested in the small intestine. The bile juice secreted by the liver contains bile salts that break down large fat globules into smaller globules, so as to increase their surface area for the action of lipase. This process is referred to as emulsification of fats.

After this, the pancreatic lipase present in the pancreatic juice and the intestinal lipase present in the intestinal juice hydrolyse the fat molecules into triglycerides, diglycerides, monoglycerides, and ultimately into glycerol and fatty acids.

FatsTriglycerides + Diglycerides

Diglycerides and monoglyceridesFatty acids + Glycerol

Absorption of fats:

Fat absorption is an active process. During fat digestion, fats are hydrolysed into fatty acids and glycerol. However, since these are water insoluble, they cannot be directly absorbed by the blood. Hence, they are first incorporated into small droplets called micelles and then transported into the villi of the intestinal mucosa.

They are then reformed into small microscopic particles called chylomicrons, which are small, protein-coated fat globules. These chylomicrons are transported to the lymph vessels in the villi. From the lymph vessels, the absorbed food is finally released into the blood stream and from the blood stream, to each and every cell of the body.

The digestion of proteins begins in the stomach and is completed in the small intestine. The enzymes that act on proteins are known as proteases.

Digestion in the stomach:

The digestive juice secreted in the gastric glands present on the stomach walls is called gastric juice. The main components of gastric juice are HCl, pepsinogen, and rennin. The food that enters the stomach becomes acidic on mixing with this gastric juice.

The acidic medium converts inactive pepsinogen into active pepsin. The active pepsin then converts proteins into proteases and peptides.

Proteins  Proteoses + Peptides

The enzyme rennin plays an important role in the coagulation of milk.

Digestion in the small intestine:

The food from the stomach is acted upon by three juices present in the small intestine – pancreatic juice and intestinal juice (known as succus entericus).

Action of pancreatic juice

Pancreatic juice contains a variety of inactive enzymes such as trypsinogen, chymotrypsinogen, and carboxypeptidases. The enzymes are present in an inactivated state. The enzyme enterokinase secreted by the intestinal mucosa activates trypsinogen into trypsin.

TrypsinogenTrypsin + Inactive peptide

The activated trypsin then activates the other enzymes of pancreatic juice.

Chymotrypsinogen is a proteolytic enzyme that breaks down proteins into peptides.

Chymotrypsinogen  Chymotrypsin

Proteins Peptides

Carboxypeptidases act on the carboxyl end of the peptide chain and help in releasing the last amino acids.

PeptidesSmaller peptide chain + Amino acids

Action of bile juice

Bile juice has bile salts such as bilirubin and biliverdin which break down large, fat globules into smaller globules so that pancreatic enzymes can easily act on them. This process is known as emulsification of fats. Bile juice also makes the medium alkaline and activates lipase. Lipase then breaks down fats into diglycerides and monoglycerides.

Action of intestinal juice

Intestinal juice contains a variety of enzymes. Pancreatic amylase digests polysaccharides into disaccharides. Disaccharidases such as maltase, lactase, sucrase, etc., further digest the disaccharides.

The proteases hydrolyse peptides into dipeptides and finally into amino acids.

 Amino acids

Pancreatic lipase breaks down fats into diglycerides and monoglycerides.

The nucleases break down nucleic acids into nucleotides and nucleosides.

hecodont is a type of dentition in which the teeth are embedded in the deep sockets of the jaw bone. Ankylosis is absent and the roots are cylindrical.

Examples include living crocodilians and mammals.

Diphyodont is a type of dentition in which two successive sets of teeth are developed during the lifetime of the organism. The first set of teeth is deciduous and the other set is permanent.

The deciduous set of teeth is replaced by the permanent adult teeth.

This type of dentition can be seen in humans.

There are four different types of teeth in an adult human. They are as follows:

(i) Incisors

The eight teeth in the front are incisors. There are four incisors each in the upper jaw and the lower jaw. They are meant for cutting.

(ii) Canines

The pointy teeth on either side of the incisors are canines. They are four in number, two each placed in the upper jaw and the lower jaw. They are meant for tearing.

(iii) Premolars

They are present next to the canines. They are eight in number, four each placed in the upper jaw and the lower jaw. They are meant for grinding.

(iv) Molars

They are present at the end of the jaw, next to the premolars. There are twelve molars, six each placed in the upper jaw and the lower jaw.

Hence, the dental formula in humans is

This means each half of the upper jaw and the lower jaw has 2 incisors, 1 canine, 2 premolars, and 3 molars. Hence, an adult human has 32 permanent teeth.

Liver is the largest and heaviest internal organ of the body. It is not directly involved in digestion, but secretes bile which plays a major role in the emulsification of fats.

Liver also have detoxification function and help in converting toxic substances into non-toxic and then excretes them out from body.

It is site of glycogen synthesis and its storage.

It is the site of conversion of NH₃ into urea through urea cycle.

It is the site of removal of degradation product of hemoglobins degestion in the form of bile pigments bilirubin and biliverdin.

(a)  The mucosal wall of the small intestine forms millions of tiny finger-like projections known as villi. These villi increase the surface area for more efficient food absorption.

Within these villi, there are numerous blood vessels that absorb the digested products of proteins and carbohydrates, carrying them to the blood stream. The villi also contain lymph vessels for absorbing the products of fat-digestion. From the blood stream, the absorbed food is finally delivered to each and every cell of the body.

The mucosal walls of the stomach form irregular folds known as rugae. These help in increasing the surface area to volume ratio of the expanding stomach.

(b) Pepsinogen is a precursor of pepsin stored in the stomach walls. It is converted into pepsin by hydrochloric acid. Pepsin is the activated form of pepsinogen.

Pepsinogen  -------HCL--------> Pepsin + Inactive peptide

(Inactive)                                             (Active)

(c) The walls of the alimentary canal are made up of four layers. These are as follows:

(i) Serosa is the outermost layer of the human alimentary canal. It is made up of a thin layer of secretory epithelial cells, with some connective tissues underneath.

(ii) Muscularis is a thin layer of smooth muscles arranged into an outer longitudinal layer and an inner circular layer.

(iii) Sub-mucosa is a layer of loose connective tissues, containing nerves, blood, and lymph vessels. It supports the mucosa.

(iv) Mucosa is the innermost lining of the lumen of the alimentary canal. It is mainly involved in absorption and secretion.

(d) Bile is a digestive juice secreted by the liver and stored in the gall bladder. Bile juice has bile salts such as sodium glycocholate and sodium tayrocholate which break down large fat globules into smaller globules so that the pancreatic enzymes can easily act on them. This process is known as emulsification of fats. Bile juice also makes the medium alkaline and also due to presense of  NaHCO₃ activates lipase.

Pancreatic juice contains a variety of inactive enzymes such as trypsinogen, chymotrypsinogen, and carboxypeptidases. These enzymes play an important role in the digestion of proteins.

Physiology of protein-digestion by pancreatic enzymes:

The enzyme enterokinase is secreted by the intestinal mucosa. It activates trypsinogen into trypsin.

Trypsinogen Trypsin + Inactive peptide

Trypsin then activates the other enzymes of pancreatic juice such as chymotrypsinogen and carboxypeptidase.

Chymotrypsinogen is a milk-coagulating enzyme that converts proteins into peptides.

ChymotrypsinogenChymotrypsin

(Inactive)                                 (Active)

Proteins Peptides

Carboxypeptidase acts on the carboxyl end of the peptide chain and helps release the last amino acids. Hence, it helps in the digestion of proteins.

PeptidesSmaller peptide chain + Amino acids

Thus, in short, we can say that the partially-hydrolysed proteins present in the chyme are acted upon by various proteolytic enzymes of the pancreatic juice for their complete digestion.

Proteins, peptonesDipeptides and proteases

The digestion of proteins begins in the stomach and is completed in the small intestine. The digestive juice secreted in the gastric glands present on the stomach walls is called gastric juice. The food that enters the stomach becomes acidic on mixing with this gastric juice.

The main components of gastric juice are hydrochloric acid, pepsinogen, mucus, and rennin. Hydrochloric acid dissolves the bits of food and creates an acidic medium so that pepsinogen is converted into pepsin. Pepsin is a proteolytic enzyme. It is secreted in its inactive form called pepsinogen, which then gets activated by HCL. The activated pepsin then converts proteins into proteases and peptides.

ProteinsProteoses + Peptides

Rennin is a proteolytic enzyme, released in an inactive form called prorennin. Rennin plays an important role in the coagulation of milk.

The dental formula expresses the arrangement of teeth in each half of the upper jaw and the lower jaw. The entire formula is multiplied by two to express the total number of teeth.

The dental formula for milk teeth in humans is:

Each half of the upper jaw and the lower jaw has 2 incisors, 1 canine, and 2 molars. Premolars are absent in milk teeth.

The dental formula for permanent teeth in humans is: 

Each half of the upper jaw and the lower jaw has 2 incisors, 1 canine, 2 premolars, and 3 molars. An adult human has 32 permanent teeth.

Bile is a digestive juice secreted by the liver. Although it does not contain any digestive enzymes, it plays an important role in the digestion of fats. Bile juice has bile pigments such as bilirubin and biliverdin. These break down large fat globules into smaller globules so that the pancreatic enzymes can easily act on them. This process is known as emulsification of fats. Bile juice also makes the medium alkaline due to presense of NaHCO₃ and also activate lipase.

The enzyme trypsin (present in the pancreatic juice) activates the inactive enzyme chymotrypsinogen into chymotrypsin.

Chymotrypsinogen  Chymotrypsin

(Inactive)                                   (Active)

The activated chymotrypsin plays an important role in the further breakdown of the partially-hydrolysed proteins.

Proteins Peptides

The other digestive enzymes of the same category are trypsinogen and carboxypeptidase. These are secreted by the same source-gland, pancreas.

Trypsinogen is present in an inactive form in the pancreatic juice. The enzyme enterokinase – secreted by the intestinal mucosa – activates trypsinogen into trypsin.

TrypsinogenTrypsin + Inactive peptide

The activated trypsin then further activates the remaining trypsinogen and activates other pancreatic enzymes such as chymotrypsinogen and carboxypeptidase. Trypsin also helps in breaking down proteins into peptides.

ProteinsPeptides

Carboxypeptidases act on the carboxyl end of the peptide chain and help in releasing the last amino acids.

PeptidesSmall peptide chain + Amino acids

The digestion of carbohydrates starts in the mouth and completes in the small intestine region of the alimentary canal. The enzymes that act on carbohydrates are collectively known as carbohydrases.

Digestion in the mouth:

As food enters the mouth, it gets mixed with saliva. Saliva – secreted by the salivary glands – contains a digestive enzyme called salivary amylase; also called as Ptyalin. This enzyme breaks down starch into sugar at pH 6.8.

StarchMaltose + Isomaltose + Limit dextrins

Salivary amylase continues to act in the oesophagus, but its action stops in the stomach as the contents become acidic. Hence, carbohydrate-digestion stops in the stomach.

Digestion in the small intestine:

Carbohydrate-digestion is resumed in the small intestine. Here, the food gets mixed with the pancreatic juice and the intestinal juice. Pancreatic juice contains the pancreatic amylase that hydrolyses the polysaccharides into disaccharides.

StarchDisaccharides

(Polysaccharides)

Similarly, the intestinal juice contains a variety of enzymes (disaccharidases such as maltase, lactase, sucrase, etc.). These disaccharidases help in the digestion of disaccharides. The digestion of carbohydrates is completed in the small intestine.

Maltose2Glucose

LactoseGlucose + Galactose

Sucrose  Glucose + Fructose

Pancreas is a gland that act like both endocrine and exocrine gland. Thus pancreas is also called compound gland and it is situated between the limbs of U- shaped duodenum. Pancreatic juice that contains digestive enzymes which are alkaline in nature and neutralizes the acid present in the food coming from stomach and duodenum, is released from the exocrine portion of this gland. Insulin and glucagon hormones are secreted from endocrine part of the pancreas. These hormones maintain the level of sugar in blood.

Pancreas is an elongated, yellowish gland lying partly behind the stomach in the abdomen. The pancreatic juice contains sodium bicarbonate and 3 proenzymes: trypsinogen, chymotrypsinogen and procarboxypeptidase.  

Fats → Diglycerides → Monoglycerides

Firstly bile juice secreted from liver carries out emulsification of fat. After this, fats are broken down by enzyme lipase into diglycerides and then into monoglycerides.

Small intestine is the site of major absorption of digestive food. This happens in Jejunum and Ileum which are parts of small intestine and are lined by finger like projections called villi that help in absorption. The semi- digested food from the stomach mixed with gastric secretion (chyme) then is passed into the duodenum through the pyloric sphincter.

Carbohydrates are absorbed in form of glucose. Proteins are absorbed in form of amino acids and fats are absorbed in the form of fatty acids and glycerol.

Major organs of human alimentary canal are as follows:

Mouth, oesophagus, stomach, small intestine, large intestine and rectum.

Major digestive glands are as follows:

1. Salivary glands: Mouth
2. Gastric glands: Stomach
3. Liver: Adjacent to stomach
4. Pancreas: Below stomach

Gall bladder stores bile juice secreted by liver and releases it when required in duodenum.

In case of gall bladder stops functioning or it is removed, there is no problem with the digestive function.

1. Small intestine
2. Neural
3. Liver
4. Infants
5. Hepato- pancreatic duct
6. Duodenum

Mucous neck cells, peptic or chief cells and parietal and oxyntic cells are three major types of cells found in the gastric glands.

Glands                               Secretion

Mucous neck cells:                  Mucus

Peptic cells or chief cells:        Pepsinogen, Prorennin

Parietal or oxyntic cells:          HCl and intrinsic factor

The mucus secreted by the globet cells in the intestinal mucosa which protects the intestinal mucosa from acidic food entering from stomach.

Gastro- Intestinal tract is also known as GI- tract are regulated by the neural and hormonal system. Many intrinsic and extrinsic nerves connecting the GI tract help in coordinated functioning of various parts of the alimentary canal.