What is the primary physiological function of bile salts in lipid digestion within the duodenum?
Answer and explanation
Correct answer: B. Emulsification of large dietary fat globules into small droplets to increase surface area for lipase action
Bile salts (such as glycocholate and taurocholate) are amphipathic molecules derived from cholesterol. They do not possess enzymatic digestive activity; rather, their hydrophobic and hydrophilic faces allow them to emulsify large fat globules into microscopic emulsion droplets in the duodenum. This dramatically expands the surface area accessible to water-soluble pancreatic lipase and colipase, and aids in mixed micelle formation for absorption.
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