The first organ that receives nutrients from the small intestine is the liver. To better understand this, check out the process flow of the digestive system up to how the liver becomes the first organ to benefit from the nutrient absorption by the small intestines. 1. Esophagus - After chewing, the food is pushed down the esophagus and then out of the esophageal sphincter, which is a ring-like muscle at the junction of the esophagus and stomach that controls the passage of food and liquid between the esophagus and stomach.2. Stomach - Swallowed food and liquid are stored in the stomach. The stomach then mixes the food and liquid with digestive juices that it produces. The mixed food and gastric juices will then be called chyme. The chyme is then slowly emptied into the small intestine. 3. Small intestine - The muscles of the small intestine mix food with digestive juices from the pancreas, liver, and intestine and push the mixture forward to help with further digestion. The small intestine has multiple parts: the duodenum, the jejunum and the ileum. The ileum mix and push food towards the large intestines. Located within the ileum are villi that increase the surface area for absorption. The nutrients absorbed here are transferred to the blood stream and liver.
