What Does the Pancreas Do?
Reviewed: Dr. Mera
4. Lipase Enzyme
In general, fat molecules cannot be absorbed into the bloodstream in their raw forms. Triglyceride digestion starts in the stomach where fatty materials are pulverized to small particle sizes to increase surface area for faster digestion.
In the small intestine bile micelles emulsify the fat by causing it to break down into smaller units (emulsification), to increase the surface area on which the lipase can actually act on. The pancreatic lipase acts on these emulsion droplets, converting them into two major end products: 2-monoglycerides and fatty acids.
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