Question

Where is bile produced? Which component of food does it help digest?

Answer 1

Bile is a fluid produced by one of the most important organs of the body, the one that is responsible for the production of various secretions as well. The color of the substance is also particularly produced by an organ in the body.

Complete step by step answer:
- Bile is produced and secreted by the liver and stored in the gallbladder. It is responsible for the digestion of fats.
- After food consumption, stored bile from the gallbladder is released into the duodenum.
- Bile is a greenish-yellow or brownish fluid and alkaline in nature.
- It is composed of mostly water, bile salts, bilirubin, and fats such as cholesterol, fatty acids, and lecithin. It also contains inorganic salts in low quantities.
- The two main pigments of bile are bilirubin and biliverdin, which are yellowish and green in color, respectively. These two pigments are responsible for the brown color of feces.
- Adult humans produce an average of 400-800 ml of bile daily.
- Bile does not break down the molecular structure of fats but breaks it down into smaller droplets or micelles in a process called fat emulsification. Thus, bile has surfactant properties.
- The formation of micelles increases the surface area for pancreatic lipase enzymes to work on breaking them down.
- In the absence of bile salts, most of the lipids in food would be excreted in feces, undigested. Bile salts are essential for the absorption of fat-soluble vitamins A, D, E, and K.

Note:
- Bilirubin is a breakdown product of red blood cells.
- Bile also helps in the excretion of bilirubin. Excess of bilirubin in the body is a symptom of jaundice.
- Sodium taurocholate is one of the major components of bile salts and is separated to use as nutrition sources for various microbiology media.