Digestion of butter Butter is a fatty substance and is rich in neutral fats or triglycerides. It is hydrolysed by esterases most important of which is lipase. Digestion of butter starts in stomach and gets completed in small intestine.
(a) In stomach Gastric juices contain a weak lipolytic gastric lipase, which hydrolyses only small amount of fats.
(b) In intestine Bile salts of the bile juice emulsify the fats and increase the surface area for the action of lipases, while its sodium bicarbonate provides alkaline medium in small intestine.
Pancreatic lipase is strongest lipolytic enzyme that hydrolyses about two-third of triglycerides.
Intestinal lipase hydrolyses remaining triglycerides. But, fat digestion is never complete. Digestion products include glycerol, fatty acids, monoglycerides and small amount of diglycerides.