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Nutrition

Definitions of the Life Processes: -

Nutrition is the process of taking in food and obtaining the necessary nutrients to
sustain life and support growth, this involves intake, digestion, absorption,
assimilation and egestion of food
Respiration is the process of taking in oxygen and to use it to release energy from
nutrients to be used for the growth or upkeep of the body. Carbon dioxide and water
are the waste products formed during this process and are eliminated by breathing

Transportation is the process of transporting substances such as oxygen, food,

waste products, hormones etc. throughout the body efficiently and in a coordinated
manner, this is done through various systems such as the circulatory and respiratory
systems

Excretion is the process of removal of harmful nitrogenous wastes from our body,
other substances that are excreted include water, salts, sweat etc.

2 Modes of Nutrition: -
Autotrophic Organisms use simple food material obtained from inorganic
substances like carbon dioxide and water
Heterotrophic organisms use complex substances that have to be broken down
into simpler ones before they can be used for the growth and upkeep of the body.

Photosynthesis is the process of taking in carbon dioxide and water from the
environment which is converted into carbohydrates in the presence of sunlight and
chlorophyll

Carbohydrates which are not immediately used by the plant are stored in the form of
Starch

Nutrition 1
 Events of Photosynthesis (ACSR)
1. Aborption of light energy by chlorophyll

2. Conversion of light energy to chemical energy and Splitting of water into

hydrogen and Oxygen

3. Reduction of Carbon dioxide to carbohydrates

Guard Cells
Opening and Closing of stomata are the function of the guard cell

When water enters the guard cells, they swell, causing them to open (SWELL →
OPEN)

When water leaves the guard cells, they shrink, causing them to close (SHRINK →
CLOSE)

Types of Heterotrophic Nutrition: -

Saprophytic Nutrition is when the organism breaks down food material outside the
body and then absorbs it… Fungi like bread moulds, yeast and mushrooms

Holozoic Nutrition is when the organism takes in whole food material and digests it
inside the body… Humans, animals

Parasitic Nutrition is when the organism derives nutrition from plants and animals
without killing them… Cuscuta, Leeches, Tape-worms, Lice, Ticks etc.

Nutrition 2
 How Amoeba Obtains its food
1. Amoeba take in food using temporary finger like extensions called Pseudopodia

2. These pseudopodia fuse over the food particle forming a vacuole around it

3. inside the vacuole, complex substances are broken down into simpler ones
which then diffuse into the cytoplasm

4. The remaining undigested material is then moved to the surface of the cell and
thrown out

Nutrition in Human Beings

Nutrition 3
 Mouth

1. Food enters the body through the mouth and hence is where the digestion
process begins

2. The Food is crushed by our teeth to generate food particles of the same size and
texture for better absorption of nutrients, The food is also wetter for making its
passage smooth

3. The Fluid present in our mouth is called saliva and is secreted by the salivary
glands. The saliva contains an enzyme called salivary amylase

4. Salivary amylase breaks down starch which is a complex substance into simple
sugar

5. The food is mixed thoroughly with saliva and moved around by the tongue, from
the mouth, the food is taken through the food pipe or oesophagus and into the
stomach

Stomach

1. A large organ which expands when food enters it, its muscular walls help in
mixing the food thoroughly with more digestive juices

Nutrition 4
 2. The Digestion in stomach is done by the gastric glands located in the stomach
that release HCl, Mucus and a protein digesting enzyme called pepsin

3. HCl —> The hydrochloric acids creates an acidic medium which facilitates the
action of pepsin, it also kills bacteria that are brought into our bodies through the
food

4. Pepsin —> an enzyme which digests protein

5. Mucus —> Protects the inner lining of stomach from action of acid under normal
conditions

6. The exit of food from the stomach is regulated by a muscle called the Sphincter
Muscle

Small Intestine

1. The Food enters from stomach into the small intestine, the small intestine is the
longest part of the alimentary canal because of extensive coiling

2. it is the site of complete digestion of carbohydrates, proteins and fats, it recieves

the secretions of the liver and pancreas for this purpose

3. Liver secretes Bile juice which makes the acidic food from stomach alkaline for
the pancreatic enzymes to act. Bile juice also contains bile salts which emulsify
fats (break down fats into smaller globules for more efficiency of enzyme action)

4. Pancreas secretes trypsin which digests proteins and lipase which digests
emulsified fats

5. The walls of the small intestine contain glands which secrete intestinal juice
which finally converts:- proteins → amino acids, carbohydrates → glucose and
fats → fatty acids and glycerol

6. the walls of small intestine contain numerous finger like projections called villi
which take the absorbed food to different parts of the body

Villi

1. Digested food is taken up by the walls of small intestine, the lining of small
intestine contain numerous finger like projects called villi

2. These increase surface area for absorption

3. The villi are richly supplied with blood vessels which take the absorbed food to
every cell of the body where it utilised for obtaining energy, repair of old tissue
and buidling of new ones

Nutrition 5
 Large Intestine

1. The unabsorbed food is sent to the Large intestine (colon) which absorbs more
water from this material

2. The rest of the Material is removed from the body via the anus

3. the exit of food from body is regulated by the anal sphincter

Peristalsis

1. Food needs to be moved in a regulated manner along the digestive tube so it

can be digested properly in each part

2. the lining of the canal has muscles which contract rythmically to move the food
forward

3. These movement occur all along the alimentary canal

HOW TO WRITE A 5 MARKER FOR THE WHOLE PROCESS OF NUTRITION:-

answer should contain:-

1. Role of teeth and saliva in mouth

2. Functions of the stomach and digestive enzymes it releases

3. function of small intestine and digestive juices released by liver, pancreas and
intestinal glands

4. process of absorption of nutrients by walls of small intestine (Villi)

5. large intestine

So Using the Above 5 main features, the answer should look something like this:-

1. Process of Digestion starts in the mouth, the teeth crush the food so they are of
equal size and texture, the saliva is a fluid present in the mouth which contains
an enzyme called salivary amylase which breaks down starch into simple sugar

2. From the mouth, the food enters into the stomach through the oeophagus. the
Stomach is a large organ which expands when food enters it, and its muscular
walls help mixing the food thoroughly with the digestive enzymes it secretes
which are HCl, mucus and pepsin. Hydrochloric acid forms an acidic medium for

Nutrition 6
 pepsin to act, Mucus protects the walls of stomach from action of acid under
normal conditions, and pepsin digests protein

3. From the stomach, the food enters into the small intestine, this is the longest
organ in the alimentary canal because of extensive coiling. it is the site of
complete digestion of carbohydrates, proteins and fats. It achieves this with the
help of secretions from liver and pancreas. the Liver secretes Bile juice which
creates an alkaline medium, bile juise also contains bile salts which emulsify
fats. the pancreas secretes trypsin which digests proteins and lipase which
digests emulsified fats. intestinal glands present in the walls of small intestine
finally convert carbohydrate to glucose, protein to amino acids and fats to fatty
acids and glycerol

4. the lining of small intestine has numerous finger like projections which greatly
increase the surface area for absorption, these are called Villi. they are richly
supplied with blood vessels which transports the absorbed food to every cell of
the body

5. from the small intestine, the food enters into the Large intestine absorbs more
water from the food and the rest are removed from the body via the anus, the
exit of food is regulated and controlled by anal sphincter

Enzyme Table:—
Enzyme Location Function

Salivary Amylase Saliva in Mouth breaks down starch into simple sugars

Gastric Glands in
Pepsin Digests protein (in stomach)
stomach

Secreted by liver,
stored in gall bladder, makes food coming from stomach alkaline for
Bile juice
released into small the pancreatic enzymes to act
intestine
emulsifies fats (breaks down fats into smaller
Bile Salts in bile juice
globules)

Trypsin pancreatic juice digests protein (in pancreas)

Lipase pancreatic juice Breaks down emulsified fats

Nutrition 7
 Enzyme Location Function

finally converts carbohydrates → glucose,

glands in small
intestinal juice protein → amino acids and fats→ fatty acids
intestine
and glycerol

Nutrition 8