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Lactose Digestion in Infants

Topic

  • Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
  • Enzymes & Reactions
  • Anatomy & Physiology
  • Metabolism & Nutrition

Resource Type

  • Videos
  • Animations

Level

High School — GeneralHigh School — AP/IBCollege

Duration

00:00:53
Used In
1 BioInteractive Playlists
Saved By
17 Users
Share This
View in Spanish

Description

This animation shows how human infants can digest milk using the enzyme lactase.

Milk is rich in the sugar lactose, which cannot be directly absorbed in the small intestine. To digest lactose, infant mammals produce the enzyme lactase. The animation illustrates how lactase breaks down lactose into two simple sugars, glucose and galactose, that can be absorbed more easily.

Depending on students’ background, it may be helpful to pause the animation at various points to discuss different molecules.

Key Terms

baby, dairy, disaccharide, enzyme, hydrolysis, lactase, milk, sugar, small intestine

Terms of Use

Please see the Terms of Use for information on how this resource can be used.

Accessibility Level (WCAG compliance)

Video files meet criteria.

Version History

Date Published 02.05.11
Date Updated 04.25.22

Materials

Large (MOV) 7 MB
Large (WMV) 7 MB
Small (MOV) 4 MB
Small (WMV) 4 MB
Transcript (PDF) 136 KB
Spanish dub (MP4) 14 MB
Transcript - Español (PDF) 161 KB

Use This Resource With

Interactive Media Resource
Interactive Video Builder

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This Resource Appears in the Following Playlists

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Teaching Genetics and Molecular Biology Using Lactose Intolerance
7 Resources
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