Chicken Sandwich Essay

The digestive system otherwise known as the gastrointestinal tract (GI tract) is a long tube which runs from the mouth to the anus. It operates to break down the food we eat from large macromolecules such as starch, proteins and fats, which can’t be easily absorbed, into readily absorbable molecules such as glucose, fatty acids and amino acids. Once broken down, these molecules can cross the cells lining the small intestine, enter into the circulatory system and be transported around the body finally being used for energy, growth and repair.
This essay examines the various mechanical and chemical processes involved in the breakdown of a chicken sandwich.
In order for this breakdown to happen, the ‘tube’ through which the food travels requires assistance from a number of other digestive organs starting with the salivary glands, and later receiving

Our chicken sandwich has, by now, been broken down into digestible nutrients. The pancreatic juices have broken down the carbohydrates in the bread into monosaccharides (such as glucose and galactose) which leave the enterocyte by facilitated diffusion and enter the rich network of capillaries. They are transported in the blood stream and cross into the cytoplasm by Na+ cotransporters. Amino acids are moved to the circulation by facilitated diffusion. Lipids from the butter are broken down into fatty acids by lipases and are then absorbed across the cell membrane into the cytosol where they are reassembled into lipoprotein particles called chylomicrons. These are carried through lymphatic channels and into the circulation via the thoracic duct. The bloodstream carries simple sugars, glycerol, amino acids, and a number of salts and vitamins to the liver. The lymphatic system, a network of vessels that carry white blood cells and lymph fluid throughout the body, absorbs fatty acids and