Digestion in the first section
- The complete small intestine is about 6 metres long.
- The chyme from the stomach enters the first part of the small intestine. The chyme is acidic.
- The liver makes bile.
- The gall bladder stores the bile and releases it through the bile duct into the small intestine.
- The bile breaks down the fats into small droplets.
- The bile neutralises the acidic chyme.
- The pancreas releases pancreatic juices into the small intestine.
- Pancreatic juice contains many enzymes which further digest the chyme.
- Pancreatic juice also neutralises the acidic chyme.
Absorption in the Second Section
- At this stage, the food has become completely digested.
- The nutrients need to be absorbed from the digestive system into our bloodstream.
- There are millions of tiny cells called villi on the inside of the small intestine.
- Nutrients from the digested food pass through the villi into our bloodstream.