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. Author manuscript; available in PMC: 2013 May 1.
Published in final edited form as: Adv Drug Deliv Rev. 2011 Dec 24;64(6):557–570. doi: 10.1016/j.addr.2011.12.009

Figure 2.

Figure 2

Summary schematic illustrating the fate of an ingested food bolus propelled through the GI tract via peristaltic contractions. Mucins in the loosely adherent layer adhere to the food, wrapping it in a ‘blanket’ of mucus. The shear thinning properties of the secreted mucins allow the bolus to pass without perturbing the firmly adherent layer and the epithelium. Enzymes and emulsifying lipids that can pass through the mucus will begin to digest the food, extracting nutrients. Water is continuously removed from any undigested material as it passes through the small intestine and colon.