Fats are digested primarily in the small intestine. This process involves several steps, including the emulsification of fats by bile salts and the breakdown of these emulsified fats into fatty acids and glycerol by pancreatic lipase.
Elaboration:
1. Emulsification:
Large fat globules in the small intestine are broken down into smaller globules by bile salts, which are secreted by the liver. This process, called emulsification, increases the surface area of the fats, making them easier for enzymes to digest.
2. Enzyme Action:
The pancreas secretes pancreatic juice containing lipase, an enzyme that breaks down the emulsified fats.
3. Final Digestion:
Intestinal juice, secreted by the small intestine itself, contains enzymes that further digest the fats into fatty acids and glycerol.
4. Absorption:
The fatty acids and glycerol are then absorbed by the villi, finger-like projections in the small intestine, and transported to the body’s cells for energy.

It is the small intestine that primarily digests lipids. The process of lipid digestion is characterized by the breaking apart of large fatty molecules into smaller ones (glycerol and fatty acids) so that they can be absorbed.
– Bile (a liquid made by the liver and kept in the gall bladder) is all run down into the small intestine. It works obliquely with fats, separating them into smaller parts for faster work of enzymes.
– Pancreatic lipase, an enzyme formed by the pancreas helps emulsified fats removal through glycerol and fatty acids.
– These final products are taken up by the intestines through the wall and then drained to the systemic blood through the lymphatic system.