Does fat digestion begin in the stomach with the activation of trypsinogen to trypsin? Does free fatty acid absorption occur in the small intestine?
1 Answer
Digestion of fats begins in the mouth.
Explanation:
Lingual lipase digests some short chain lipids into di glycerides , in the oral cavity.
Most fats are otherwise digested in the small intestine. Pancreatic lipase from the pancreas and bile from the liver helps in the emulsification of fats and fatty acids..
Emulsification of fats is essential as optimal activity is possible only at a water - fat interface.
Most of the fat in human diet is in the form of triacyl glycerol. Enzyme lipase hydrolyses the triacyl glycerol to free fatty acids and mono glycerides.
Free fatty acids associate with bile salts and phospholipids. These are transported to the surface of enterocytes, where they diffuse across the plasma membrane of enterocytes.
Thus fats are absorbed in the small intestine.
Trypsinogen is produced in the pancreas and helps in protein digestion.
