Question

Calculate the ATP yield for the complete oxidation of the 16-carbon unsaturated fatty acid palmitoleic acid (a 16:1-Δ⁹ fatty acid).

Answer 1

oxidation of palmitic acid yields 7 NADH+ 7FADH2 + 8acetyl-CoA in 7 cycles of mitochondrial beta oxidation. Every acetyl-CoA yields 3 NADH +1 FADH2 + 1GTP(=ATP) during Krebs cycle. Considering an avg production of 2.5 ATP/NADH and 1.5ATP/FADH2 using the respiratory chain, we have 108 ATP molecules. However, 2 ATP molecules were consumed during initial activation of Palmitate to Palmitoyl-CoA which is going to be oxidized in the mitochondria. So, net energy output is (108-2)ATP = 106 ATP