Function of bile salts in fat digestion and absorption

- play an important role in fat digestion and emulsifying fat
- breaks down fat globules into smaller particles by making it more soluble in water
- critical for transport and absorption of fat-soluble vitamins

- contain both hydrophobic (lipid soluble) and polar (hydrophilic) regions





- bile acids have detergent action on particles of dietary fat which causes fat globules to
break down or be emulsified into minute, microscopic droplets


- bile acids are lipid carriers and are able to solubilize many lipids by forming
which aggregate lipids such as fatty acids, cholesterol and monoglycerides

Bile acids are derivatives of cholesterol synthesized in the hepatocyte

Bile acids are amphipathic

* The cholesterol portion of a bile acid is hydrophobic and the amino acid conjugate is
polar and hydrophilic

Emulsification of Lipid Aggregates

Solubilization and Transport of Lipids in an aqueous environment

micelles