Multiple choice

What are the pigments present in the digestive juice bile?

  1. Carotenoids and myoglobin

  2. Porphyrin and bilirubin

  3. Myoglobin and biliverdin

  4. Biliverdin and bilirubin

  5. Porphyrin and biliverdin

Reveal answer Fill a bubble to check yourself
D Correct answer
Explanation

Biliverdin and bilirubin are the pigments giving the bile its colour. These are produced by the breakdown of the dead and worn out red blood cells. Biliverdin is a green bile pigment formed by the catabolism of haemoglobin and converted to bilirubin in the liver. It may also arise from oxidation of bilirubin.