Bile from the liver

The idea

The liver secretes bile, which is mildly basic; bile neutralises acids in food coming from the stomach and breaks fats into tiny droplets, making their digestion easier.

Fat in water

Oil does not mix with water. It floats as a big drop.

How could the body make a big drop of fat easier to digest?

• Break it into tiny droplets
• Make the drop bigger
• Freeze the drop

Add bile

Press Add bile three times. Watch the fat drop and the strip below.

Two jobs

Bile broke the big fat drop into tiny droplets. It also moved the food from acidic towards neutral.

The liver secretes bile, which is mildly basic. Bile neutralises the acids in food coming from the stomach and breaks fats into tiny droplets, making their digestion easier.

Notes

The liver secretes bile, which is mildly basic. Bile neutralises the acids in food coming from the stomach and breaks fats into tiny droplets, making their digestion easier.

Check yourself

Which organ secretes bile?

Bile is mildly …

What does bile do to fats?

Food from the stomach is acidic. What does bile do to the acid?

• The pancreas. The pancreas secretes pancreatic juice. Bile comes from the liver.
• The liver — correct. Yes!
• The stomach. The stomach secretes digestive juice, acid and mucus. Bile comes from the liver.
• acidic. Bile is mildly basic. That is why it can neutralise acid.
• neither acidic nor basic. Bile is mildly basic, so it can neutralise acids.
• basic — correct. Yes!
• Breaks them into tiny droplets — correct. Yes!
• Turns them into starch. Bile does not change fat into starch. It breaks fat into tiny droplets.
• Joins them into one big drop. Bile does the opposite. It breaks fat into tiny droplets.
• Makes it stronger. Bile is basic, so it neutralises acid. It does not make it stronger.
• Neutralises it — correct. Yes!
• Leaves it as it is. Bile is basic and neutralises the acid.