Digestive system (English)

The food bolus travels a long way during the process of digestion. The first step of the process is ingestion, carried out by the oral cavity proper, which performs the mechanical breakdown of the food with teeth, and initiates the chemical breakdown with salivary enzymes. Next, the food travels down the pharynx and esophagus and arrives in the stomach, where the food is churned and mixed, and where the chemical breakdown of proteins is started. The food bolus then travels through the small intestine, where the majority of nutrients from the food are absorbed. The large intestine, which is concerned with the absorption of water, follows next. Finally, the food bolus, at this point formed into feces, is directed to the rectum where it sits until it’s ready to be expelled through the anal canal.