Explain the role of pancreatic juice in digestion.

Explanation

Pancreatic juice `:`
The exocrine part of pancreas ( acini) secretes an alkaline fluid called pancreatic juice called pancreatic juice.
Pancreatic juice contains water, mineral salts and a variety of enzymes, such as one carbohydrase, three types of proteases, one lipase and one nuclease.
a. Carbohydrase `:` Carbohydrase acts on the carbohydrate molecules .Carbohydrase secreted by pancreas is called pancreatic amylase ( amylopsin). It is a powerful enzyme, due to which polysaccharides are converted into disaccharides.
Starch, Glycogen `underset("pH 7.1 to 8.2")overset("Pancreatic Amylase")(rarr)` Maltose units.
b. Proteases`:` Proteases are enzymes which act on proteins. Trypsin, Chymotrypsin and Carboxypeptidase are the proteases secreted by the pancreas.
(i) Trypsin `:` It is secreted as the inactive Trypsinogen. Later gets activated by enterokinase of the intestinal juice. Trypsin is a endopeptidase. It acts on proteins and convert them into Proteoses, Peptones and Polypeptides.
Proteins ` underset("pH 7.1 to 8.2 ")overset("Trypsin")(rarr)` Proteoses, Peptones and Polypeptides
(ii) Chymotrypsin `:` It is secreted as the inactive chymotrypsin and later gets activated by Trypsin . Chymotrypsin is also an endopeptidase and converts Protein into Polypeptides .
Protein `underset("7.1 to 8.2")overset("Chymotrypsin")(rarr)` Polypeptides
(iii) Carboxypeptidase `:` It is an exopeptidase , acting on the terminal peptide bonds of the polypeptide chain. It converts Polypeptides into Tripeptides, Dipeptides and Amino acids.
Polypeptides `underset("pH 7.1 to 8.2")overset("Carboxypeptidase")(rarr)` Tripeptides, Dipeptides, Amino acids.
c. Lipase `:` It is an enzyme which acts on lipids. Lipase secreted by pancreas is called pancreatic lipase or steapsin. It is secreted in an inactive form, and is activated by enterokinase. pancreatic Lipase is a powerful enzyme and it hydrolyses fat emulsion into Fatty acids and Glycerol.
Lipids `underset("pH 7.1 to 8.2")overset("Pancreatic lipase( Steapsin)") ( rarr)` Fatty acids `+` Glycerol.
d. Nuclease `:` Nuclease splits Nucleic acids into Nucleotides
Nucleic acids `underset("pH 7.1 to 8.2")overset("Nuclease")(rarr)` Nucleotides.