What is the net production of ATP from complete catabolism of the following fatty acid to CO₂ and H₂O?

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

The given fatty acid produces 15 acetyl-CoA molecules and 8 FADH2 and 8 NADH molecules through beta-oxidation. Each acetyl-CoA through the citric acid cycle produces 3 NADH, 1 FADH2, and 1 GTP (which can be converted to ATP). Therefore, the total ATP production through oxidative phosphorylation would be:
(15 x 3) + (8 x 1.5) + (8 x 2.5) = 45 + 12 + 20 = 77 ATP molecules
In addition, each FADH2 molecule would produce 1.5 ATP through oxidative phosphorylation, resulting in a total of 12 additional ATP molecules.
Therefore, the net production of ATP would be 77 + 12 = 89 ATP molecules, which falls between the range of 51-90.

What Is the Net Production of ATP from Complete Catabolism