The food lipids digesting enzymes are a general term refers to the enzymes that can hydrolyze ester bonds. These enzymes mainly participate in various of physiological processes， such as food lipids digestion， metabolism， and transportation， and play crucial roles in maintaining normal life activities in almost all the organisms. The lipases， including lingual lipase， gastric lipase， pancreatic lipase， etc. are the major lipases species that hydrolyze dietary fats within humans. After being ingested， these enzymes bind specifically to lipid droplets， hydrolyze the ester bonds within the glycerides， and ultimately generate free fatty acids and glycerols， then are absorbed and metabolized. By modulating the hydrolytic activity of lipases， the process of dietary food lipids hydrolysis can also be regulated. In the present review paper， firstly， the gastrointestinal digestion process of dietary food lipids was summarized. Secondly， the structural characteristics of the four major types of fat digesting enzymes， including the lingual lipase， gastric lipase， pancreatic lipase， and phospholipase， were elucidated， moreover， their hydrolysis properties towards dietary food lipids were also concluded. Finally， the research progress regarding the lipases natural activity inhibitors in recent years were also reviewed. The aims of the present review paper are to promote the basic understandings about the gastrointestinal digestion process of dietary food lipids， as well as the structure and functional characteristics of food lipids digestive enzymes. And provide theoretical references for regulating dietary lipids hydrolysis behavior based on the development of the natural products for food lipids digestive enzyme activity regulation， thus achieving the prevention of related chronic metabolic diseases.

food lipid digestive enzyme  /  dietary lipid  /  structural functionality  /  hydrolytic characteristics  /  activity inhibitor