Chemical Digestion of

Triglycerides

Elle Manabat Chelsea Onia

JM Manlapid Jayvee Saqui

 To absorb the nutrients in the food
that we eat, they must be broken down
into smaller particles first.

This is to allow the carrier proteins to

carry them to the epithelial cells that
form the mucosal lining of the
digestive tract.
 CHEMICAL DIGESTION

Essential for breaking down food so the epithelium can

absorb

Mucus, bile salts, HCl are substances released in the

digestive tract that facilitate the breakdown of food.

Uses enzymes:
Large polymeric biomolecules à individual monomers or oligomers
 DIGESTIVE ENZYMES

Most important substances secreted

Water soluble

Enhances rate at which covalent bonds are broken

Without these, there is no digestion

 FACTORS THAT AFFECT ENZYME
ACTIVITY

Temperature
extremely high temperature can slow down rate of
enzyme catalyzed activity because it destabilizes
noncovalent interactions that make enzymes catalysts

low temperature also decreases the rate

High temperature maximizes catalytic activity

pH of surrounding fluid
varies along the digestive tract, which restricts
function of a specific enzyme to a particular
region in the digestive tract

Enables a step-wise process

certain pH: maximum efficiency

examples: Trypsin, Pepsin

 FATS
A group of biomolecules very difficult to digest
chemically.

Hydrophobic so they tend to aggregate in large

droplets within fluid of digestive tract.

↓ Surface area, ↓ contact between fat and surrounding

water

Since digestive enzymes are water soluble, they only

come in contact with and digest the triglyceride
molecules at the surface of the droplets
Almost all of the breaking down happens
in the small intestine–thanks to
pancreatic and intestinal brush border
lipases

Stomach does minimal fat digestion

(Gastric Lipase)

Babies have salivary lipase

Efficient fat digestion calls for *secretion
of bile from the liver and gall bladder
(bilirubin, cholesterol, phospholipids,
inorganic ions, and **bile salts)

*triggered by the CCK hormone, which

also induces pancreatic enzyme secretion
**emulsification agents
 PROCESS

Bile salts emulsify fat droplets à hydrolysis

of emulsified fat droplets into fatty acid
and monoglycerides à fatty acids and
monoglycerides dissolve into micelles to
produce mixed micelles

Effect: free fatty acids = ↓pH of fluids

passing through intestine
RESULTS
pH
time Bile salts + Pancreatin Pancreatin +
water solution bile salts
initial 7 6 6
After 20 minutes 7 5 5
After 40 minutes 7 5 5
After 60 minutes 7 4 5