Final answer:
The claim that dipeptides and tripeptides are absorbed faster than free-form amino acids is false. Both are ultimately absorbed into the bloodstream as individual amino acids after being actively transported into intestinal epithelial cells and then broken down.
Step-by-step explanation:
The statement that dipeptides and tripeptides are absorbed faster than free-form amino acids is False. In the small intestine, proteins are mostly absorbed as their breakdown products, which are amino acids. The proteins are broken down during digestion and the amino acids are taken up by the blood capillaries of the mucosa. Short chains of two amino acids (dipeptides) or three amino acids (tripeptides) are actively transported into the absorptive epithelial cells. However, before these dipeptides and tripeptides leave the cell and enter the capillary blood via diffusion, they are broken down into free amino acids. Therefore, both dipeptides, tripeptides, and free-form amino acids are ultimately absorbed into the bloodstream as individual amino acids.