Digestive System

Digestive juices are produced in the mouth, the stomach, and the small intestine.

Mouth – main role is to chew / churn and secrete digestive juice (saliva).

Stomach – main role is to digest and secrete digestive juice.

Small intestine – main role is to digest and absorb food (not water) and secrete digestive juice. At the end of the small intestine, all the food are already digested and absorbed. (95% of the absorption of food occurs at the small intestine.)

Large intestine – main role is to absorb water, not food. Does not secrete digestive juice.

Food typically takes about 5-6 hours to pass through the small intestine into the large intestine, although this varies greatly among individuals and type of food.

See table for summary