Ingestion, digestion and absorption of food are the main functions of the digestive system. When a person eats, the food travels down the digestive tract, which includes the mouth, esophagus stomach and intestines. Various organs also secrete digestive juices to help break down the food. These organs and their secretions prove essential to the proper digestion of food.
Salivary Glands
The mouth is the beginning of the digestive tract. The salivary glands increase their production of saliva when food is chewed. According to Estrella Mountain Community College, saliva contains important enzymes, such as salivary amylase. Salivary amylase begins the digestion of starches.
Stomach
The stomach is another organ where digestive enzymes become secreted, as reported by the National Digestive Diseases Information Clearinghouse, NDDIC. Specialized cells in the stomach secrete three different digestive substances: hydrochloric acid, pepsinogen--an enzyme that helps digest protein, and a substance necessary for the proper absorption of vitamin B12, called intrinsic factor. A mucous layer that neutralizes the acid protects the stomach lining. All three of these stomach secretions prove necessary for efficient digestion.
Pancreas
The pancreas is situated just under the stomach. Pancreatic enzymes break down protein, fat and carbohydrates or starches, into smaller molecules that become absorbed by the intestines, as stated by Estrella Mountain Community College. The pancreas also synthesizes and releases insulin, an important hormone in the regulation of sugar.
Liver
The liver, as described by the Cleveland Clinic, has numerous functions. Within the digestive system, the liver helps process the raw nutrients into energy that can be used and stored in the body. The liver also synthesizes and secretes bile. Bile is an important digestive juice. Once the bile has been produced in the liver, it can be released directly into the small intestine or sent to be stored in the gallbladder.
Gallbladder
The gallbladder is found on the underside of the liver. The gallbladder is a storage organ for the digestive substance bile, according to the NDDIC. Bile acid breaks down the fat stored in the food the patient eats. By breaking down the fat, the bile allows the fat to mix with the other contents of the intestines. Then, the cells lining the intestines absorb the mixed fluids.
