Bile salts

Definition

Bile salts are a component of bile, a substance produced by the liver that helps break down fats in the small intestine during digestion. They act as emulsifiers, breaking large fat droplets into smaller ones to increase the surface area for digestive enzymes to work on.

Related terms

Lipase:

An enzyme that catalyzes the hydrolysis of fats into glycerol and fatty acids.

Emulsification:

A process where large lipid globules are broken down into smaller, uniformly distributed particles in an aqueous solution.

Small Intestine:

The part of the gastrointestinal tract where most of the digestion and absorption of nutrients takes place, including fats processed with the help of bile salts