digestion science definition

1. The process by which food is broken down into simple chemical compounds that can be absorbed and used as nutrients or eliminated by the body. In most animals, nutrients are obtained from food by the action of digestive enzymes. In humans and other higher vertebrates, digestion takes place mainly in the small intestine. In protists and some invertebrates, digestion occurs by phagocytosis.
2. The decomposition of organic material, such as sewage, by bacteria.

digestion

During digestion, enzymes break down large molecules in foods, such as starch, into simple compounds that are absorbed into the small intestine and the bloodstream.