What is a food vacuole and how it forms in amoeba?

A food vacuole is a small, bubble-like structure inside the amoeba that stores and digests food. It acts like the amoeba’s temporary stomach.

The process starts when an amoeba senses food particles (like tiny algae or bacteria) in its surroundings. It extends its pseudopodia (finger-like projections) around the food particle. When the pseudopodia completely surround the food, they fuse together, trapping the food inside a bubble of cytoplasm. This bubble is what we call a food vacuole.

Once the food vacuole is formed, digestive enzymes from another cell structure — the lysosomes — are released into it. These enzymes break down the complex food into simple nutrients that the amoeba can use. The digested nutrients then mix with the cytoplasm and are used for energy and growth.

After digestion is complete, any undigested waste is expelled from the vacuole through a process called exocytosis. The vacuole then disappears. So, a food vacuole forms when the amoeba engulfs food with its pseudopodia and serves as a temporary site for digestion and nutrient absorption.