The liver and digestion Flashcards
1
Q
What does the liver do in digestion?
A
The liver does not secrete any enzymes, but it plays an important role in digestion, and then processing food molecules that have been absorbed.
The liver produces bile.
Bile:
Emulsifies lipids, breaking them up physically into tiny droplets. Tiny droplets have a much larger surface area, over which lipases can work, than larger pieces, or drops of lipid.
Contains sodium hydrogencarbonate, which is an alkali. It neutralises stomach acid and produces the optimum pH for pancreatic enzymes.
Is produced in the liver, but stored and concentrated in the gall bladder
