Organ Information
Click the "Start Digestion" button below to watch how food travels through the digestive system. Each organ will light up as food passes through it, and you'll see detailed information here.
💡 Did you know?
The entire digestion process takes between 24 to 72 hours from eating to elimination!
👄 Mouth
Digestion begins in the mouth where teeth break down food into smaller pieces through mechanical digestion (chewing).
Functions:
• Chewing breaks food into smaller pieces
• Saliva contains enzymes that begin breaking down carbohydrates
• Tongue helps mix food with saliva and form it into a bolus
🔄 Esophagus
A muscular tube that connects the mouth to the stomach. Food moves through it via peristalsis (wave-like muscle contractions).
Functions:
• Transports food from mouth to stomach
• Peristaltic waves push food downward
• Takes about 6-8 seconds for food to reach the stomach
🫙 Stomach
A muscular, hollow organ that holds and mixes food with digestive juices. It's like a powerful blender!
Functions:
• Stores food temporarily (2-6 hours)
• Produces gastric acid and enzymes to break down proteins
• Churns food into a liquid called chyme
• Kills harmful bacteria with stomach acid
🏥 Liver
The largest internal organ, the liver performs over 500 functions! In digestion, it produces bile.
Functions:
• Produces bile to break down fats
• Processes nutrients absorbed from small intestine
• Stores vitamins and minerals
• Detoxifies harmful substances
💧 Gallbladder
A small, pear-shaped organ that stores and concentrates bile produced by the liver.
Functions:
• Stores bile from the liver
• Releases bile into small intestine when fatty food arrives
• Concentrates bile to make it more effective
🔬 Pancreas
Located behind the stomach, the pancreas produces powerful digestive enzymes and hormones.
Functions:
• Produces enzymes to digest proteins, fats, and carbohydrates
• Secretes bicarbonate to neutralize stomach acid
• Produces insulin to regulate blood sugar
🌀 Small Intestine
About 20 feet long! This is where most nutrient absorption occurs through tiny finger-like projections called villi.
Functions:
• Completes digestion with enzymes from pancreas and intestinal walls
• Absorbs 90% of nutrients and water
• Contains billions of villi to increase surface area
• Food spends 3-5 hours here
📦 Large Intestine (Colon)
About 5 feet long, the large intestine's main job is to absorb water and form solid waste.
Functions:
• Absorbs remaining water and electrolytes
• Forms and stores feces
• Contains beneficial bacteria that produce vitamins
• Waste spends 12-24 hours here before elimination
🚪 Rectum
The final section of the digestive system where waste is stored before being eliminated from the body.
Functions:
• Stores feces temporarily until elimination
• Signals the need for bowel movement
• Final stage of digestion process