Through digestion, large food particles are converted into smaller components that can be readily absorbed into the bloodstream Food is taken into the mouth where it is broken down into smaller pieces by the teeth As the teeth grip, cut and chew the food, saliva is released and mixes with the smaller food particles Saliva moistens and lubricates the food, allowing it to be This chewing helps to break the food down into smaller pieces so that the omasum and abomasum can begin their part of digestion as well Many times cows will find a nice shady patch to chew the cud in Read about silvopasture to see how you can give your cow more shade to chew her cud without sacrificing pasture digestion would take a lot longer Enzymes break food down into smaller pieces after mechanical digestion so that chemical digestion can work on smaller pieces of food different types of enzymes Digestive System Information To break food into small pieces by rubbing it against a greater