CBSE Class 10 Science 2023 · Paper 31/4/2 · Question 24

(1) The food coming from the stomach is acidic. Bile juice makes it alkaline, so that the pancreatic enzymes, which need an alkaline medium, can act on it. (2) Fats reach the small intestine as large globules, on which enzymes act with difficulty. The bile salts in bile break them into much smaller globules (emulsification), which gives the fat-digesting enzyme lipase a far larger surface to act on and so increases the efficiency of its action. Bile itself contains no digestive enzyme; its importance lies in preparing the food for the pancreatic enzymes.