Figure 1.

The transit of consumed particulates through the lumen of the organs of the human digestive system. The buccal cavity, esophagus, stomach, small intestine, and large intestine are separated from each other by sphincters, labeled in beige squares. Consumed particulates (shown in blue) passing through these organs may or may not remain in their native physicochemical state, and can develop a dynamic corona coating (represented in violet). (Reprinted with permission from Ref 18. Copyright 2009 Elsevier)