lipid digestion

• Lipid digestion


  1. Lipids mix with bile salts, produced in liver

  2. Bile salts break down lipids into smaller droplets

  3. Lipase is released into small intestine

  4. Lipase hydrolyses lipids into fatty acids, glycerol, and monoglycerides

  5. Occurs in the ileum
• Micelles


  • Formed by products of hydrolysis and phospholipids
  • Transport monoglycerides, fatty acids to epithelial cells to be absorbed
  • Constantly break down and reform
• Absorption


  1. Short fatty acids diffuse directly into blood

  2. Long chains, glycerol, triglycerides reform and transported to lymph vessel in villus by exocytosis

  3. Packaged with cholesterol, phospholipids to form chylomicrons and eventually enter the blood