Which enzyme breaks fats into fatty acids?

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Prepare for the Leaving Certificate Digestion Test with engaging questions and explanations. Ready yourself with multiple choice quizzes, hints, and deep insights. Be exam-ready now!

Multiple Choice

Which enzyme breaks fats into fatty acids?

Explanation:
Enzymes are selective for their substrates, so breaking down fats relies on a lipase. Lipase hydrolyzes triglycerides into fatty acids and monoglycerides, primarily in the small intestine with bile salts helping by emulsifying fat to increase surface area for the enzyme to work. The other enzymes target different foods: amylase acts on starches to produce sugars, protease digests proteins into amino acids, and maltase splits maltose into glucose. So lipase is the one that handles fats.

Enzymes are selective for their substrates, so breaking down fats relies on a lipase. Lipase hydrolyzes triglycerides into fatty acids and monoglycerides, primarily in the small intestine with bile salts helping by emulsifying fat to increase surface area for the enzyme to work. The other enzymes target different foods: amylase acts on starches to produce sugars, protease digests proteins into amino acids, and maltase splits maltose into glucose. So lipase is the one that handles fats.

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