Digestive system: Components

There are five main components:

1.The mouth and oesophagus:

The food is chewed and mixed with saliva, which forms a bolus that travels down the oesophagus.

2.Stomach:

The bolus enters the stomach, where it is mixed with gastric juices, initiating the breakdown of proteins and further digesting the food further into a liquid substance.

3.Small intestine:

Most of the digestion takes place in the small intestine.

All absorption of the food particles takes place in the small intestine

4.Large intestine:

There is left over water, salts and indigestible fibre. The left over water is absorbed in the large intestine.

5.Rectum and anus:

The rectum serves as a temporary storage site for feces before they are expelled from the body through the anus.