1. In the small intestine, intestinal juice, bile juice and pancreatic juice are mixed with food. Peristaltic movements of muscularis layer help in proper mixing of digestive juices with chyme.
2. Bile juice and pancreatic juice are poured in duodenum through hepatopancreatic duct.
3. Bile salts present in the bile juice neutralize the acidic chyme and make it alkaline. II brings about emulsification of fats.
4. Pancreatic juices are secreted by pancreas whereas the intestinal mucosa secretes digestive enzymes. The goblet cells produce mucus.
5. The intestinal juice contains various enzymes like dipeptidases, lipases, disaccharidases, maltase, sucrase and lactase.
6. Both pancreatic and intestinal lipases initially convert fats into fatty acid and diglycerides.
7. Diglycerides are further converted to monoglycerides by removal of fatty acid from glycerol.
8. The mucus and bicarbonates present in pancreatic juice protect the intestinal mucosa and provide alkaline medium for enzymatic action.
9. Sub-mucosal Brunner’s glands help in the action of goblet cells.
10. Most of the digestion gets over in small intestine.
