The enzymes that hydrolyze fats in the stomach and small intestine are called:

• A. Amylases
• B. Peptidases
• C. Proteases
• D. Lipases

Answer: (D)

Fats are broken down by lipases, enzymes that cleave the ester bonds in triglycerides. In the stomach, gastric lipase begins fat digestion, though most work happens in the small intestine, where pancreatic lipase does the bulk of the hydrolysis. Bile salts aid this process by emulsifying fats, increasing surface area for the lipase to act. The result is fatty acids and monoglycerides, which form micelles to be absorbed by intestinal cells and then reassembled into triglycerides for transport.

Other enzymes listed target carbohydrates or proteins, not fats, so they don’t hydrolyze fats.