CHAPTER- 7[Animal Nutrition]

Diet:
The food an animal eats every day is called diet. In nutrition, diet is the sum of food
consumed by a person or other organism.
Most of the animals need seven types of nutrients in their diet.
These are,
 Carbohydrate
 Proteins
 Fats
 Vitamins
 Minerals
 Water
 Fiber

Balance Diet:
A balanced diet contains all of the essential elements that the human body needs.
Carbohydrates, lipids, vitamins, minerals, proteins, fiber, and water are all essential
components in a well-balanced diet.

 Diet related to age/sex/activity:

 Children Below 12: Require more calcium
 Teenagers: Highest calorie Intake
 Adults: Balanced meal with less calories
 Pregnant Women: more iron, calcium and folic acid
 Males: Generally, require more energy
Malnutrition:
A condition caused by eating an unbalanced diet. Several forms:
Overnutrition: balanced diet but eating too much of everything
Undernutrition: having too little food or eating foods in incorrect proportions.
Effects of Malnutrition:
Starvation: losing strength & finally dying because of lack of food
Coronary heart disease: eating too much fats which are rich in saturated fatty acids and
cholesterol, may lead to heart attack
Constipation: lack of roughages in food causes constipation because roughages are
indigestible and form bulks. Friction between bulks and walls of intestine stimulate the
peristalsis
Obesity: Eating too much fats and carbohydrates leads to their storage in the body mainly in
the forms of fats and causing an increase in body weight. This can cause; heart
attack, stroke, joint pain, mobility impairment, high blood pressure.

Deficiencies:
Vitamin C: Scurvy; loss of teeth, pale skin & sunken eyes
Vitamin D: Rickets; weak bones and teeth
Calcium: Rickets; weak bones and teeth, also poor clotting of blood, spasms
Iron: Anaemia: Fatigue (less iron → less haemoglobin → less oxygen transported → less
respiration → less energy
Human digestive system comprises the alimentary canal and various digestive glands. The
alimentary canal is a muscular tube, which extends from the mouth to the anus. The human
digestive system comprises mouth, pharynx, oesophagus, stomach, small intestine, large
intestine, and anus.
Mouth
The mouth is the first part of our digestive system. Food is ingested through the mouth.

Oral cavity
The oral cavity comprises the palate, tongue and teeth.
Palate – The roof of the oral cavity.
Tongue – Muscular and glandular structure attached to the base of the oral cavity. The
upper surface of the tongue has tiny projections known as lingual papillae. Lingual papillae
are of three types: circumvallate, fungiform and filiform.

Teeth
Humans are diphyodont i.e. they have two sets of teeth- milk or deciduous and permanent
teeth. Here is the list of different types of teeth in humans with their functions.

The structure of the tooth is made up of three parts- the crown, neck, and root. The exposed part
of the tooth is called the crown, the region where it is covered with gums is known as neck and
root is embedded in the socket of the jaw bone (Thecodont).

Tooth Decay: Tooth decay is damage to a tooth's surface, or enamel. It happens when
bacteria in your mouth make acids that attack the enamel. Tooth decay can lead to cavities
(dental caries), which are holes in your teeth. If tooth decay is not treated, it can cause pain,
infection, and even tooth loss.
Prevention: Eating food with low sugar content. Regular and effective teeth brushing to
remove plaque. Finishing a meal with a crisp vegetable and a glass of water

Pharynx
It is the common passage for food and air. Epiglottis prevents the entry of food into the windpipe.

Oesophagus
It is a muscular tube through which small bolus of food passes from the mouth to the stomach.
The gastro-oesophageal sphincter controls the movement of food into the stomach.

Stomach
It is a muscular bag, positioned at the upper left part of the abdominal cavity. It has four parts-
cardiac, fundus, body and pyloric portion.

1. Cardiac part– It is present close to the heart. The opening of the oesophagus to the
stomach is regulated by the gastro-oesophageal sphincter.
2. Fundus– It is dome-shaped and is usually filled with air.
3. Body– This is the main part of the stomach.
4. Pyloric- It opens in the first part of the small intestine, duodenum. The opening of the
stomach into the small intestine is regulated by the pyloric sphincter.

Small Intestine
It is the longest part of the alimentary canal and comprises three parts- Duodenum, Jejunum, and
Ileum.
1. Duodenum– It is C- shaped. The pancreatic, bile and hepatic secretions are added to
the food by hepatopancreatic duct.
2. Jejunum– Middle part of the small intestine.
3. Ileum– It is highly coiled and opens into the large intestine.

Large Intestine
The small intestine leads into the large intestine. It has three parts- Caecum, Colon, and Rectum.
1. Caecum– It is a small sac-like structure containing symbiotic microorganisms. The
vermiform appendix (vestigial organ) is attached to it.
2. Colon– It is divided into four regions- ascending, transverse, sigmoid and descending.
3. Rectum– It opens into the anus.
Digestion:
Digestion is the breakdown of large insoluble food molecules into small water-soluble
food molecules so that they can be absorbed into the watery blood plasma. In certain
organisms, these smaller substances are absorbed through the small intestine into the
blood stream.
The term mechanical digestion refers to the physical breakdown of large pieces of food
into smaller pieces which can subsequently be accessed by digestive enzymes.
Mechanical digestion takes place in the mouth through mastication and in the small
intestine through segmentation contractions. In chemical digestion, enzymes break down
food into the small molecules the body can use.
Ingestion: taking substances (e.g. food, drink) into the body through the mouth.

Egestion: passing out of food that has not been digested, as faeces, through the anus.

Digestion: the break-down of large, insoluble food molecules into small, water soluble
molecules using mechanical and chemical processes

Mouth: contains teeth used for mechanical digestion. area where food is mixed with
salivary amylase & where ingestion takes place.

Salivary glands: produce saliva which contains amylase and helps food slide down
oesophagus.

Oesophagus: tube-shaped organ which uses peristalsis to transport food from mouth to
stomach.

Stomach: has sphincters to control movement into and also has pepsin (a protease) to
break down proteins into peptides, it also kills bacteria with hydrochloric acid. They also
have elastic walls.
Small intestine: tube shaped organ composed of two parts the:

1. Duodenum: fats are emulsified by bile, and digested by pancreatic lipase to form fatty
acids and glycerol. Pancreatic amylase and trypsin (a protease) break down starch and
peptides into maltose and amino acids.

2. Ileum: Maltase breaks down maltose to glucose. This is where absorption takes place;
adapted by having villi and microvilli.

Pancreas: produces pancreatic juice which contains amylase, trypsin and lipase and
hydrogen carbonate.

Liver: produces bile, stores glucose as glycogen, interconverting them to keep glucose
concentration constant. Also carries out interconversion of amino acids (transamination),
deamination and removal of old red blood cells and storage of their iron Also, site of
breakdown of alcohol and other toxins.

Gall bladder: stores bile from liver.

 Bile: produced by liver and stored in gall bladder, its role is to emulsify fats, to increase
surface area for the action of enzymes.

Large intestine: tube shaped organ composed of two Parts.

Colon: organ for absorption of minerals and vitamins, and reabsorbing water from waste
to maintain body’s water levels.

Rectum: where faeces are temporarily stored.

Anus: ring of muscle which controls when faeces is released.

Diarrhoea Diarrhoea:
when not enough water is absorbed from the faeces To cure this is to give oral rehydration
therapy One of these infectious by a bacterium causing the diseases cholera (spreads
rapidly) The cholera bacterium produces a toxin that causes secretion of chloride ions into
the small intestine, causing osmotic movement of water into the gut, causing diarrhoea,
dehydration and loss of salts from the blood.

Absorption:
Movement of digested food molecules through wall of the intestine into the
blood or lymph. The small intestine is the region for absorption of digested
food. The small intestine is folded into many villi which increase
the surface area for absorption. One villus will have tiny folds on the cells on its
outside called microvilli. More surface area means more absorption can
happen
Capillary: transports glucose and amino acids
Vein: delivers absorbed products to liver via hepatic portal vein. Gland:
produces enzymes
Lacteal: absorbs fatty acid and glycerol
Epithelium: only one cell thick for faster transport. The cells of the epithelium
are folded to form microvilli. Small intestine and colon absorb water The small
intestine absorbs 5–10 dm3 per day.
The colon absorbs 0.3–0.5 dm3 per day.