Animal Physiology: Food and Digestion

Flashcards for Animal Physiology: Food and Digestion, covering carbohydrates, lipids, proteins, vitamins, minerals, and the digestive system.

Carbohydrates

The body's main 'fuel' for supplying cells with energy.

Glucose

A sugar that cells oxidize to release energy through cell respiration.

Fructose

A fruit sugar.

Sucrose

Ordinary table sugar.

Starch

A large, insoluble molecule and storage carbohydrate in plants, made of long chains of glucose molecules.

Glycogen

A carbohydrate similar to starch found in animal cells, acting as a store of energy in tissues like the liver and muscle.

Cellulose

A polymer of glucose that forms plant cell walls, also known as dietary fiber or 'roughage'.

Dietary Fiber

Provides something for the muscles of the gut to push against, aiding in preventing constipation and serious intestinal diseases.

Monosaccharides

Carbohydrates composed of one sugar unit.

Disaccharides

Carbohydrates composed of two monosaccharides

Polysaccharides

Polymers of sugars, such as starch, glycogen, and cellulose.

Lipids

An essential part of the structure of all cells, deposited in parts of the body as a long-term store of energy and for insulation.

Glycerol and Fatty Acids

The chemical 'building blocks' of lipids.

Saturated Lipids

Associated with heart disease, found more commonly in animal sources; fatty acids contain no double bonds.

Unsaturated Lipids

Generally healthier for us; fatty acids contain double bonds.

Proteins

Needed for growth and repair of tissues, and many compounds in the body, including enzymes, are made from it.

Amino Acids

Proteins are polymers made from these 20 different subunits.

Kwashiorkor

A protein-deficiency disease common in poorer countries.

Calcium and Phosphorus

Minerals needed by the body for making teeth and bones.

Iron

A mineral needed for red blood cells to carry oxygen.

Vitamins

Chemicals needed in small amounts to stay healthy.

Vitamin A

A vitamin needed to make a light-sensitive chemical in the retina of the eye.

Night Blindness

Vitamin deficiency of Vitamin A where a person finds it difficult to see in dim light

Vitamin C

A vitamin needed to make fibers of connective tissue, bonding cells together.

Scurvy

Vitamin C deficiency that leads to wounds failing to heal, and bleeding occurring in various places in the body, especially the gums.

Vitamin D

Vitamin that helps bones absorb calcium and phosphate.

Rickets

Caused by a lack of vitamin D in the diet.

Starch Test

Used to test for starch using iodine solution, which turns dark blue-black in the presence of starch.

Glucose Test

This test involves reducing an alkaline solution of copper (II) sulfate to copper (I) oxide when glucose is present.

Benedict's Solution

Reagent used to test for glucose.

Biuret Test

Used to test for protein by adding potassium hydroxide and copper sulfate to produce a purple color.

Lipid Test

Used to test for lipids by dissolving a substance in ethanol and adding water, forming a cloudy emulsion if lipids are present.

Digestion

The chemical and mechanical breakdown of food, converting large insoluble molecules into small soluble molecules.

Mechanical Digestion

Physical breakdown of food, such as chewing in the mouth.

Peristalsis

Waves of muscle contraction that push food along the gut.

Duodenum

The part of the small intestine, where digestion begins, that breaks down the food using enzymes.

Ileum

The part of the small intestine where digested food is absorbed.

Large Intestine

The part of the gut that is mainly concerned with absorbing water out of the remains, and storing the waste products (faeces).

Carbohydrases

Enzymes digest carbohydrates.

Proteases

Enzymes digest proteins.

Lipases

Enzymes digest lipids.

Amylase

The enzyme in saliva to start the breakdown of starch.

Bile

A digestive juice made by the liver, stored in the gall bladder, that emulsifies lipids.

Villi

Tiny projections from the lining of the ileum that increase the surface area for absorption.

Microvilli

The surface cells of each villus have minute projections that increase the surface area for absorbtion.

Excretion

The waste products of cells of the body, such as carbon dioxide.

Egestion

The products of the digestive system, consisting of waste that has passed through the gut and left the body via the anus, without entering the cells.

Hepatic Portal Vein

The large blood vessel from the ileum to the liver.

Assimilation

The process of soluble food molecules being absorbed from the blood into cells of tissues, and are used to build new parts of cells.