Savannah Brock

Digestive System Lab Report

The digestive system has many different parts that compose it and is responsible for
digestion and absorption. The components of the mouth are teeth, taste, and salivary glands
and saliva. The different types of taste are umami, bitter, sweet, sour, and salty, which are
identified by taste buds found on the tongue. These help the body identify what is going to be
digest so that it can prepare itself. The salivary glands in the mouth are the parotid, sublingual,
and submandibular salivary glands. These produce saliva which is used to moisten food to
produce bolus and break down starch using the enzyme amylase. The teeth are used to crush
the food and assist the saliva in bolus formation. The average person has about 8 incisors, 4
canines, 8 premolars, 8 molars, and wisdom teeth (wisdom teeth usually end up being
removed). After the bolus is produced, it travels down the esophagus and into the stomach. The
stomachs parietal cells release HCL (acid), the chief cells release pepsinogen (enzyme), and
the G cells release gastrin (hormone). These react to help chemically break down the food. The
stomach also churns to help mix and physically break down the food. After the bolus is turned
into chyme, it moves out of the pyloric sphincter and into the small intestines. Here, 90% of food
digestion and absorption takes place. The pancreas secretes the enzyme lipase, protease, and
amylase which help to break down the food. After the food passes through the small intestines,
it enters the large intestines. The main functions of the large intestines are to absorb water from
the remaining undigested food and to remove the waste from the body. The rectum is found at
the end of the large intestines and is where the waste exits the body.

Part I Structures of the Mouth

Salivary Glands:
On average, about two liters of saliva are produced by one human. Amylase breaks down starch
into sugars by breaking the glycosidic bonds. This is the first step in the chemical breakdown of
digestion.
In the saliva lab, there were two test tubes with liquid and 1/8th of a crushed cracker placed in
the bottom. The liquid in the first tube contained 30 drops of saliva and a drop of iodine. In the
second, there was 30 drops of water and a drop of iodine.

Day 1:

Question: What is the effect of Amylase on starch?

Hypothesis: Amylase will break down the starch in the cracker.

The liquid is white and all of the

cracker remains on day 1. There
is no visible difference.

(Left is with water, right is with saliva)

Day 2:
On day two, the liquid is white
and there hasnt been much
change except for a slight
decrease in the amount of
cracker in the tube containing
saliva.

(Left is with water, right is with saliva)

Taste Buds:
Taste prepares the human body for digestion. Smell is detected by neurons in the back of the
nasal cavity and plays a large role in taste. The information gathered by the smell receptors is
transported to the olfactory bulb. The smell of an object or place can trigger different reactions in
the body. For instance, if someone smells food, their body may start producing more saliva and
getting ready for the first step of digestion.
The lab performed to test the effects of smell on taste had many variables. 5 different foods
were tested each one going through the same process: the nose was plugged with cotton balls

and then the food was placed in the mouth for 5 seconds. After 5 seconds, the person starts
chewing. After another 5 seconds, the plugs were removed and the person keeps chewing.

Question: Is taste 80% smell?

Hypothesis: Yes, taste is 80% smell.

Table 1: Taste vs Smell Lab Data

Conclusion: None of the food was identified during this lab. Smell does affect taste, but not
enough to be able to tell what was being eaten without knowing.
Mammal Teeth Structure:
There are four different type of teeth in the mouth: molars,
premolars, canines, and incisors. The molars are the largest
teeth in the human mouth and have a flatter surface. Their role
is to crush and grind the food. The premolars are slightly
pointier than the molars, but still have a flat surface for
crushing and grinding. The canines are the sharpest teeth in
the mouth and are used to grip and tear the food. Lastly, the
incisors are sharp and used for cutting into the food.

Part II Esophagus and Stomach

The esophagus and stomach is where the second step of digestion occurs. The is where the
bolus is acted on by Chief, Parietal, and G cells. These release acids, enzymes, and hormones
that act chemically on the food to help chemically break it down. The stomach also helps to
physically break down the food by churning the food and turning it into chyme.
Protein Digestion
The pH affects how well enzymes work in breaking down food because some enzymes cannot
function if the pH is too high or low. The pH of the human stomach is optimum at 2. The pH is

this low so that any bacteria ingested along with the food is killed. If the pH is too high, the
bacteria will not be killed.

The food travels down the esophagus (Image 3), through the lower esophageal sphincter, and
into the stomach (Image 2). The rugae the wrinkles in the inner-lining of the stomach. These are
present due to the stretching of the stomach and assist in churning. The fundus is where excess
food is stored and the pylorus is below the body of the stomach. This region is where digestion
occurs.

Part III Small and Large Intestines

The small and large intestines is where most of digestion occurs. The pancreas, liver, and
gallbladder all work with the intestines to finish the process of digestion. The pancreas releases
the enzymes lipase, protease, and amylase. The liver processes the nutrients absorbed from
the small intestines. The gallbladder hold the bile that is picked up by the liver. After the chyme
leaves the small intestines, it enter the large intestines. Here, water is absorbed and the waste
is removed from the body through the rectum, which is located at the end of the large intestines.

The pancreas is found right above the duodenum, which is the first part of the small intestines.
The second part is the jejunum and the last is the ilium. At the bottom of the small intestines is
the ileocecal sphincter. This is where the digested food leaves the small intestines and enters
the large intestines. The food then passes up the ascending colon, through the transverse
colon, down the descending colon, and through the sigmoid colon. At the end of the large
intestines is the the rectum and the internal and external anal sphincters where the waste exits
the body.
Different hormones do different things to the body. A lab was executed to prove this and was
performed using lab rats. 6 lab rats were used, one being the control. Out of the other 5, one
was injected with gastrin, one with secretin, one with CCK, one with GIP, and one with
acetylcholine (ACh). The outcome of this was recorded in the tables below. The goal was to find
out what each rat was injected with based off of the information.

Question: What are the effects of GI hormones on a rats digestive system?

Table 2:
Experimental Data

Control

Unknown
1

Unknown
2

Unknown
3

Unknown
4

Unknown
5

Drops of fluid from

salivary duct,

10

10

10

70

12

pH of the stomach

1.9

1.8

Drops of fluid from

pancreatic duct,

77

30

9.5

pH of fluid from a main

pancreatic duct

7.2

10

7.6

7.2

min1

min1

Drops of fluid from

common bile duct,

64

2.3

2.4

2.4

Motility of stomach, no.

of contractions/min

3.6

15

3.4

Motility of small
intestines, no. of
contractions/min

15

17

18

30

17

13

Blood glucose level,

mg/dl

100

101

100

104

102

60

Strength of contraction,
mmHg

10

12

12

50

12

min1

Table 3:
Experimental Data

Unknown 1

Unknown 2

Unknown 3

Unknown 4

Unknown 5

Drops of fluid from

salivary duct

pH of stomach

Drops of fluid from main

pancreatic duct

pH of fluid from main

pancreatic duct

Drops of fluid from

common bile duct

Mobility of stomach

Mobility of small
intestines

Blood glucose level

Strength of
concentration

Unknown Rat
Unknown 1

Hormone and effects

CCK: The more CCK, the more pancreatic
digestive enzymes are released from the
pancreas.

Unknown 2

Secretin: Secretin stimulates the production

of HCO 3 by the pancreas, which
neutralizes the acid traveling from the
stomach to the small intestines. This is why
the pH was higher.

Unknown 3

ACH: ACH releases gastrin and increases

motility and contractions.

Unknown 4

Gastrin: Gastrin activates the vagus nerve,

increasing motility of the stomach and small
intestines, and stimulates parietal cells, which
secrete HCl.

Unknown 5

GIP: GIP decreases motor and secretory

activity of the stomach and causes insulin to
be released from cells from the
pancreas. This increases glucose uptake.

Conclusion
Taste sends a message to the brain about the food that is going to be digested and can trigger
enzyme release. Amylase is the enzyme that is in saliva and breaks down starches. Pepsin is
the enzyme in the stomach and breaks down proteins into polypeptides. Gastrin, secretin, CCK,
and GIP are all hormones that trigger different reactions in the body. Gastrin aids in gastric
motility and causes the release of HCl from parietal cells. Secretin increases the pH by
stimulating HCO 3 production from the pancreas to make it less acidic. CCK activates the
production of pancreatic digestive enzymes. GIP stimulates insulin production from cells
and decreases the stomachs motor and secretory activity. All of these play a large role in the
digestive system.