Answer:
D. Proteins that are consumed in the diet are absorbed as individual amino acids following digestion
Step-by-step explanation:
Protein digestion begins from stomach and continues in small intestine too. In stomach, enzyme pepsin is responsible for breakdown of proteins into smaller fragments. The acidic environment created by hydrochloric acid facilitates this process.
Protein fragments move from stomach to small intestine where the main breakdown occurs. Pancreas releases two enzymes, trypsin and chymotrypsin in small intestine. These two enzymes along with some enzymes secreted by the small intestine breakdown the small protein fragments into individual amino acids which are finally absorbed via villi in small intestine.