How does a long digestive tract help to digest food?

A longer digestive tract provides more surface area for the absorption of nutrients, water, and electrolytes from the food we eat. It also means food is exposed to enzymes and digestive juices for a longer duration, ensuring more complete digestion of the food particles. Furthermore, the presence of beneficial gut microbiota within the longer digestive tract assists in the breakdown of some complex food components that our body cannot break on its own.