ABSTRACT
For optimum growth, the mammal requires only small amounts of lipid-soluble vitamins and certain unsaturated fatty acids. Several studies have shown that hydrolysis of milk fat within the stomach enhanced its susceptibility to further hydrolysis by pancreatic lipase. Muscle contraction of the stomach produces the mechanical force for dietary fat emulsification. Gastric digestion leads to the hydrolysis of 10 to 30% of the ingested fat to partial glycerides and free fatty acids and the major accumulated partial glycerides are diacylglycerols. The steric and positional specificity of the enzyme has made it an important tool in studying the positional distribution of fatty acids in triacylglycerols and phosphoglycerides. A functional enzyme is present in the capillary endothelium of extrahepatic tissues and can be released by heparin into the blood compartment. Chylomicrons and very low density lipoproteins are the primary vehicles for the transport of the exogenous and endogenous triacylglycerol, respectively, to extrahepatic peripheral tissue.
