Digesting Lipids

Question 1

Describe the hydrolysis of a triglyceride, and what does it produce

Answer 1

Triglycerides undergo hydrolysis of the ester bond by lipase to produce a monoglyceride and 2 fatty acid tails

Question 2

What is a disadvantage of lipids being insoluble

Answer 2

There is a low surface area of lipids and enzymes so less e-s complexes are made

Question 3

What is an adaptation of our body to combat the problems of lipids being insoluble

Answer 3

Bile salts (produced by the liver and stored in the gall bladder) break large lipid droplets into smaller ones — a process called emulsification. This increases the surface area for the enzyme lipase to act on, allowing more efficient digestion of lipids.

Question 4

What are the 2 things that bile does

Answer 4

1: emulsification
2: forms micelles

Question 5

How does it form micelles

Answer 5

Ester bonds are hydrolysed by lipase to form monoglycerides and fatty acids and bile, called micelles. This increases their solubility for absorption

Question 6

Describe lipid absorbtion

Answer 6

1: micelles increase solubility and carry products to ileum cells
2: products diffuse into cell
3: products are modified by Golgi to reform the triglycerides
4: vesicles fuse with membrane and products are exocytosed