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Lesson: Chapter 6 — Human body processes

Digestion in the small intestine 1 of 3

Pancreatic juice and bile

Most digestion happens in the small intestine, a tube about seven metres long. Its first part, the C-shaped duodenum, receives two secretions through a shared opening.

Pancreatic juice

Brought by the pancreatic duct. It contains the enzymes trypsin, amylase and lipase.

Bile

Made in the liver, stored in the gall bladder, brought by the bile duct. It contains bile pigments, bile salts, bicarbonate salts and water — but no enzyme.

Emulsification

Bile mixing with the food breaks the lipids into tiny droplets. This is emulsification, and it gives the enzyme a much larger surface area to act on.

Bile is not an enzyme

Bile does not break any chemical bonds. It only splits fat into droplets, which is a physical change; the enzyme lipase does the chemical digestion.