How the cow's digestive system works? And why human beings have small intestine
What is work of pancreas and liver?
How the cow's digestive system works? And why human beings have small intestine
What is work of pancreas and liver?
The cow has four stomachs and undergoes a special digestive process to break down the tough and coarse food it eats. When the cow first eats, it chews the food just enough to swallow it. The unchewed food travels to the first two stomachs, the rumen and the reticulum, where it is stored until later. When the cow is full from this eating process, she rests. Later, the cow coughs up bits of the unchewed food called cud and chews it completely this time before swallowing it again. The cud then goes to the third and fourth stomachs, the omasum and abomasum, where it is fully digested. Some of this digested food enters the bloodstream and travels to a bag called the udder, where it is made into milk that will come out of her teats, while the rest goes towards the cow's nourishment.
The small intestine is made up of the duodenum, jejunum, and ileum. Together with the esophagus, large intestine, and the stomach, it forms the gastrointestinal tract. In living humans, the small intestine alone measures about 6 to 7 meters long. After death, this length can increase by up to half. It has a surface area of over 200 meters.
The internal walls of the small intestine are covered in finger-like tissue called villi. Each of these villi is covered in even smaller finger-like structures called microvilli. These villi and microvilli increase the surface area available for the absorption of nutrients.
In the small intestine food that has already been broken down by chewing and stomach enzymes is further degraded by additional enzymes. Some of these chemicals are secreted in the lumen (the hollow area in the middle of the intestine), but others are transported to the intestine from other organs such as the pancreas and liver. Where absorption takes place depends on the type of nutrient or vitamin being absorbed.
Once fully reduced to a chemical level the molecules that are going to be absorbed pass through the walls of the intestine into the bloodstream. Peristalsis, contraction of the muscle walls, is the force that propels matter through the small intestine. It is a slow process, allowing the food matter to mix with the digestive juices.
Liver The liver is a large organ on the upper right side of your torso, opposite the stomach and behind the ribcage. One of its main functions is to make a substance called bile (composed mostly of bilirubin, bile salts, and cholesterol) that is required to digest food in the small intestine.
The liver is divided into two sections: a right lobe and a left lobe. Both lobes are made up of cells called hepatocytes. These cells produce bile and secrete it into the bile ducts, which carry bile to the gallbladder where it is stored until used by the small intestine.
The pancreas is a long, thin gland that lies horizontally behind the bottom part of your stomach. It makes digestive enzymes that flow through the pancreatic duct to the small intestine. These enzymes, along with bile from the gallbladder, break down food for use as energy by the body. The pancreas also makes insulin and glucagon, hormones that help regulate blood glucose (sugar) levels.
The small intestine is made up of the duodenum, jejunum, and ileum. Together with the esophagus, large intestine, and the stomach, it forms the gastrointestinal tract. In living humans, the small intestine alone measures about 6 to 7 meters long. After death, this length can increase by up to half. It has a surface area of over 200 meters.
The internal walls of the small intestine are covered in finger-like tissue called villi. Each of these villi is covered in even smaller finger-like structures called microvilli. These villi and microvilli increase the surface area available for the absorption of nutrients.
In the small intestine food that has already been broken down by chewing and stomach enzymes is further degraded by additional enzymes. Some of these chemicals are secreted in the lumen (the hollow area in the middle of the intestine), but others are transported to the intestine from other organs such as the pancreas and liver. Where absorption takes place depends on the type of nutrient or vitamin being absorbed.
Once fully reduced to a chemical level the molecules that are going to be absorbed pass through the walls of the intestine into the bloodstream. Peristalsis, contraction of the muscle walls, is the force that propels matter through the small intestine. It is a slow process, allowing the food matter to mix with the digestive juices.
The liver is a large organ on the upper right side of your torso, opposite the stomach and behind the ribcage. One of its main functions is to make a substance called bile (composed mostly of bilirubin, bile salts, and cholesterol) that is required to digest food in the small intestine.
The liver is divided into two sections: a right lobe and a left lobe. Both lobes are made up of cells called hepatocytes. These cells produce bile and secrete it into the bile ducts, which carry bile to the gallbladder where it is stored until used by the small intestine.
The pancreas is a long, thin gland that lies horizontally behind the bottom part of your stomach. It makes digestive enzymes that flow through the pancreatic duct to the small intestine. These enzymes, along with bile from the gallbladder, break down food for use as energy by the body. The pancreas also makes insulin and glucagon, hormones that help regulate blood glucose (sugar) levels.
