Lesson: Chapter 6 — Human body processes

Digestion in the small intestine 2 of 3

Intestinal juice

The wall of the small intestine secretes intestinal juice, which contains the enzymes maltase, sucrase, lactase and peptidase, and mucus.

What mucus does

• It lubricates the food, making it easier to move along the gut.
• It protects the proteins in the walls of the stomach and small intestine from being digested by the digestive juices.