bile acid

This term refers to a specific class of steroid acids that act as biological detergents. In a clinical or biochemical context, it is used to describe the mechanism of emulsification, where the acid breaks down large fat globules into smaller micelles to increase the surface area for lipase enzymes.

Because it is a chemical compound and a biological substance, it is typically treated as an uncountable noun when referring to the substance in general. When referring to specific types of these acids (such as cholic acid or chenodeoxycholic acid), the plural form may be used in a technical taxonomic sense.