Laboratory Report COVER SHEET

Unit Code: NTR20003 Unit Title: Physiology in Medical and Health Sciences

Lab Report Number and Title: Lab Report 1 – Digestive Physiology and Chemical Digestion of Nutrients

Name of Demonstrator: Jeremy Lab Group (Day & Time): Wednesday 8.30-10.30AM
Drake
Date Submitted: 11th April 2022 Student Email Address: [email protected]

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SIGNED: Tharashi DATED: 11 / 04 / 2022

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Digestive physiology and chemical digestion of nutrients

Introduction
Digestion is the process of breaking down food mechanically and enzymatically into substances
that can be absorbed into the bloodstream. Before being absorbed, three macronutrients must
first be digested: Carbohydrates, fats, and proteins are all important components of a balanced
diet (Patricia and Dhamoon, 2019). The majority of chemical digestion takes place in the small
intestine. The stomach's chyme travels through into the parotid gland and then into the
duodenum. In this area, chyme will mix with pancreatic and duodenal secretions. To some
extent, mechanical digestion will continue. Vitamins, minerals, and water are among the
digestive products that cross the mucosa and into the lymphatic system or the bloodstream The
digestion of food's major macronutrients is a well-ordered process involving many digestive
enzymes. Enzymes are secreted throughout your digestive tract during chemical digestion.
These enzymes are in charge of breaking down the molecules bonds that keep particles of food
together. After that, the food can be broken down into small, easily digestible pieces.
(Welcome, 2018).
Salivary and lingual gland enzymes break down carbohydrates and fats, stomach enzymes break
down proteins, and pancreatic exocrine gland enzymes break down Carbs, proteins, fats, RNA,
and DNA are all examples of macromolecules. Cellular endothelium membrane contains and
cytoplasm lining Extra enzymes that aid digestion are found in the small intestine. The
hydrochloric acid is a strong acid (HCl) cells in the stomach, as well as bile from the liver, aid in
the action of the enzymes (Karasov and Douglas, 2013). Access to structural components, such
as whole cereals or coarse fibers, has a similar effect on gizzard retention time and pH. These
materials will promote normal gizzard development, increase retention time, and lower pH
(Svihus, 2014).
In the intestine, carbohydrates, proteins, and fats are all broken down into their basic
components. Carbohydrates decompose Proteins are broken down into smaller molecules, and
fats are broken down into glycerol and fatty acids. The body uses these fundamental units to
make the substances it needs for growth, maintenance, and activity. Temperature affects
carbohydrates because high temperatures cause sugars to lose water and react with one
another, resulting in a variety of molecules (Högy et al., 2013).
The aim of this practical is to investigate how the appearance of enzymes, variation pH, and
variable temperatures affected the digestion of carbohydrate, protein, and fat using various
digestive enzymes.

Method
As described in NTR20003 Physiology in Medical and Health Sciences Laboratory manual for
students – SUT, 2022, Practical number two: Digestive Physiology and Chemical Digestive of
Nutrients.

Results
Experiment 1: Chemical Digestion of Carbohydrate

TUBE 1 TUBE 2 TUBE 3 TUBE 4

Lugol’s test (+) (-) (+) (+)
(Iodine)
Benedicts test (-) (+++) (-) (-)
(+) = Starch present (-) = No starch present / No maltose present (+++) = Moderate amount
of maltose present
Table 1 Chemical Digestion of Carbohydrate

According to this experiment in Lugol’s test most of the tubes have present the starch those
tubes are tube 1,3 and 4 and one tube did not present starch it is tube 2. In addition, in
benedicts test most of the tubes does not present maltose those tubes are tube 1,3 and 4 and
only one tube present moderate amount of maltose that is tube 2.

Experiment 2: Chemical Digestion of Protein

TUBE 1 TUBE 2 TUBE 3 TUBE 4 TUBE 5

Observation Digested Digested Digested Digested Undigested
Table 2 Chemical Digestion of Protein

In this experiment tube 1,2 and 4 is observed as digested and it has been kept in a 37 °C water
bath. Moreover, tube 5 is also has been kept in 37°C water bath but it is observed as
undigested. Tube 3 has been kept on ice and it is also observed as digested. In addition, most of
the tubes are observed as digested and one is observed as undigested.

Experiment 3: Chemical Digestion of Fat

 Fat Digestion
8

4
pH

0
0 20 40 60
Time

Tube 1 Tube 2 Tube 3

Figure 1 Chemical Digestion of Fat

According to this experiment in 0 mins pH value is 7.13 in tube 1, 6.72 in tube 2 and 6.42 in
tube 3. And after 20 mins of time tube 1 shows 7.18pH and tube 2 and 3 shows 5.43pH. After 40
mins of time tube 1 shows 7.10pH, tube 2 shows 5.34pH and tube 3 shows 5.21pH. And lastly
after 60 mins of time tube 1 shows 6.96PH, tube 2 shows 5.22pH and tube 3 shows 5.12pH.

Discussion
Physical digestion is the process of "mashing" or physically breaking do most of wn food. The
food is ground (by the teeth), mashed (by the stomach), and so on. During the process, it is
mixed with other foods, however no new molecules are formed. Large amounts of food must
be broken down into micronutrients small enough to be absorbed by cells during digestion.
Chewing and secretion help, but they don't go far enough to reduce particle size. This is where
the chemical digestion process begins (Miller, 2013).
In chemical digestion of carbohydrate three tubes has amylase solution and one tube has
water. Test tube 1 has water and other three has amylase. For one tube it has to put 10 drops
of HCl solution and it is test tube 3 and needed to keep all four tubes in 37°C. After the
incubation needed to split the incubated solution for another four set of test tubes In Lugol’s
test added few drops of iodine solution to all four test tubes and most of them were starch
presented and one test tube with starch is light color compared to other two tubes and one test
tube does not presented starch because no reaction was occurred (refer to table 1).
In benedicts test added benedict reagent to all four test tubes and placed them in boiling water
for some minutes. After that most of the tubes were blue color and they presented as no
maltose and those tubes was not reacted to benedict reagent. But one tube was yellowish
coloration and it has moderate amount of maltose has presented. It is test tube three (refer to
table 1).
Protease enzymes and hydrochloric acid broken down into smaller molecules called amino
acids. Proteases break apart peptides that link amino acids together. Amino acids are smaller
molecules that pass through your stomach and into your small intestine (Levy, 1950).
In chemical digestion of protein needed five of test tubes and added hard boiled egg white to
all five tubes and added pepsin solution for four test tubes and added water for one tube. For
tube 1 added 10 drops of water with pepsin solution, for tube 2 added 10 drops of HCl with
pepsin solution, for tube 3 added 10 drops of HCl with pepsin solution and for tube 4 added
water and 10 drops of HCl and for tube 5 added 10 drops of NaOH and pepsin solution. After
that tube 1,2,4 and 5 were placed in a 37°C water bath and tube 3 was placed on ice. According
to the results most of the tubes were presented as digested and one tube presented as
undigested (refer to table 2).
In chemical digestion of fat needed three test tubes and added heavy cream for all test tubes
and after that added water and few bile salts for tube 1 and added pancreatin solution for tube
2 and added pancreatin solution and few grains of bile salts for tube 3 after that measures the
pH for each solution and placed the test tubes in 37°C water bath. After the incubation
repeated the pH measurements for all the solution for three times (refer to figure 1).

The experiments are investigated chemical digestion of nutrients and in the first experiment the
food can be digest either with sugar or starch. The best conditions for digestion are taking a
balanced diet Including protein, carbohydrate and fat, digestive enzymes and manage digestive
condition. These experiments were excellent digested under experimental conditions
compatible to the expectations.

References
Högy, P., Poll, C., Marhan, S., Kandeler, E. and Fangmeier, A., 2013. Impacts of temperature
increase and change in precipitation pattern on crop yield and yield quality of barley. Food
chemistry, 136(3-4), pp.1470-1477.
Karasov, W.H. and Douglas, A.E., 2013. Comparative digestive physiology. Comprehensive
Physiology, 3(2), p.741.
Levy, J., 1950. Comparative Buffering Capacity of Intact and Pre-Digested Protein Following
Hourly Feedings. Gastroenterology, 16(2), pp.370-379.
Miller, A.J., 2013. Overview of deglutition and digestion. In Principles of Deglutition (pp. 3-17).
Springer, New York, NY.
Patricia, J.J. and Dhamoon, A.S., 2019. Physiology, Digestion.
Svihus, B., 2014. Function of the digestive system. Journal of Applied Poultry Research, 23(2),
pp.306-314.
Welcome, M.O., 2018. Chemical Digestion, Absorption, and Transport. In Gastrointestinal
Physiology (pp. 871-972). Springer, Cham.