Answer to Question #159341 in Biology for Aimee

Question

Explain the effects of bile in the digestion of lipids

Answer 1

Bile emulsifies lipids making them accessible for the water-soluble lipases (enzymes that digest lipids). Lipids are hydrophobic compounds that do not interact with water. As a result, lipases cannot penetrate the lipid droplet and cannot hydrolyze lipid molecules. Bile serves as a detergent that emulsifies lipids producing small lipid droplets accessible for lipases.