PASCUAL, Jolo P.

BIOCHEMLAB
BSMD 2Y2 - 7
Week 10: Lipids (Emulsification)
Guide Questions:
1. What is the role of emulsification?
Emulsification, simply put, is the formation of emulsions. An emulsion is a mixture of two or more liquids that are
typically immiscible. Butter is a natural example of an emulsion, specifically a water-in-oil emulsion.
The role of emulsification in our body is that it helps in the breakdown of fat globules in the duodenum into smaller
droplets, creating a larger area where the pancreatic lipase enzyme can work to digest fat into fatty acids and
glycerol. Emulsification is assisted by the action of bile salts.

References
Emulsification - Definition, Examples & Uses of Emulsification. (n.d.). Retrieved from BYJU'S: https://byjus.com/chemistry/emulsification/

Emulsification - Examples, Mechanism, Properties, Types and Uses. (n.d.). Retrieved from Vedantu:
https://www.vedantu.com/chemistry/emulsification

2. What is the significance of the emulsification of fat?

Emulsification breaks down the triacylglycerol (TAG) fats into smaller manageable droplets, with bile salts and
phospholipids surrounding each droplet. Bile salts and phospholipids are amphipathic so they both have hydrophilic
and hydrophobic surfaces, ensuring that the droplets cannot reform into larger fat globules. A protein called
colipase then binds onto the surface of these emulsion droplets and helps recruit and anchor lipase to the surface
of the droplet. From the breakdown of fats into smaller droplets, to anchoring lipase onto the fat droplets, emulsion
efficiently digests the fats that would’ve been otherwise hard to digest.

References
Emulsify - Definition and Examples of Emulsification | Biology Dictionary. (2017, April 28). Retrieved from Biology Dictionary:
https://biologydictionary.net/emulsify/

3. What is the difference between emulsification and digestion?

By defining emulsification and digestion, we are able to differentiate the two.
Emulsification in the body is the break down of large fat globules into smaller fat droplets through the help of bile.
Digestion is the break down of large food molecules into water-soluble molecules that are passed into the blood and
transported into the organs. With these, we can infer that emulsification is a process that aids in digestion by
breaking up fat globules into smaller, water-soluble droplets. Digestion requires the emulsification of fats to properly
digest the molecules into useful energy that is transported later to the whole body.

References
Digestion: Anatomy. physiology, and chemistry. (2018, January 11). Retrieved from MedicalNewsToday:
https://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/320014#what-is-digestion

Emulsification - Definition, Examples & Uses of Emulsification. (n.d.). Retrieved from BYJU'S: https://byjus.com/chemistry/emulsification/