Lipid Digestion Flashcards
1
Q
Explain lipid digestion
A
- Fats and oils are emulsified by bile salts (found in bile)
- Emulsified lipids are hydrolysed by lipase enzymes that are produced by the pancreas and present in pancreatic juice which is released into the small intestine
- Lipases hydrolyse the ester bond found in triglycerides to form fatty acids and monoglycerides
- Micelles are formed
Micelles = monoglycerides + fatty acids + bile salts
2
Q
What is bile?
A
Bile is produced by the liver and stored in the gall bladder and then secreted through the bile duct into the small intestine
3
Q
What is emulsification?
A
Lipids are split into tiny droplets, this increase the surface area available to the lipase enzymes and speeds up the rate of hydrolysis