Which organ releases digestive enzymes into the small intestine when food arrives there?

• A. Pancreas
• B. Stomach
• C. Liver
• D. Gallbladder

Answer: (A)

When chyme arrives in the small intestine, the pancreas releases a juice rich in enzymes into the duodenum. These enzymes—amylase, lipase, and proteases like trypsin and chymotrypsin—finish digesting carbohydrates, fats, and proteins right where absorption happens. The pancreas also squirts bicarbonate to neutralize stomach acid, creating a suitable environment for the enzymes. Hormones such as secretin and cholecystokinin signal this pancreatic release in response to the presence of chyme. The liver and gallbladder contribute bile to help break down fats, but bile is not an enzyme. The stomach mainly releases its enzymes into the stomach itself. So the organ supplying digestive enzymes to the small intestine as food arrives there is the pancreas.