Mechanical and chemical digestion of carbohydrates , proteins and lipids?
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Dec 10, 2023
Mechanical digestion of carbohydrates, proteins, and lipids primarily occurs in the mouth and stomach. In the mouth, carbohydrates are broken down by the mechanical action of chewing and mixing with saliva. The saliva contains an enzyme called amylase, which begins the chemical digestion of carbohydrates by breaking them down into smaller molecules called maltose.
Proteins undergo mechanical digestion in the mouth through chewing and mixing with saliva. However, the majority of protein digestion occurs in the stomach. The stomach secretes gastric juices, including the enzyme pepsin, which breaks down proteins into smaller peptides.
Lipids do not undergo significant mechanical digestion in the mouth. However, they are emulsified by the mechanical action of chewing and mixing with saliva. The majority of lipid digestion occurs in the small intestine. Bile, produced by the liver and stored in the gallbladder, is released into the small intestine and helps to emulsify lipids, breaking them down into smaller droplets. This increases the surface area for the enzyme lipase to act upon, breaking down lipids into fatty acids and glycerol.
Chemical digestion of carbohydrates, proteins, and lipids primarily occurs in the small intestine. The small intestine receives secretions from the pancreas and the small intestine itself to aid in the digestion process. The pancreas secretes pancreatic amylase, which continues the breakdown of carbohydrates into smaller sugars like glucose. The pancreas also secretes several proteases, such as trypsin and chymotrypsin, which further break down proteins into smaller peptides. Lipids are broken down by pancreatic lipase into fatty acids and monoglycerides.
Overall, mechanical digestion breaks down carbohydrates, proteins, and lipids into smaller particles, while chemical digestion involves the action of enzymes to break them down into their basic building blocks for absorption and utilization by the body.