Assuming a fat molecule can be oxidized into 2 glycerol molecules, which are immediately converted to glyceraldehyde-3-phosphate, in intermediate glycolysis, how many ATP can be produced from a fat molecule?

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Quizplus · Accepted Answer

Each glycerol molecule is converted to glyceraldehyde-3-phosphate, which can produce 2 ATP and 1 NADH (equivalent to 3 ATP) in glycolysis, totaling 5 ATP per glycerol. Since there are 2 glycerol molecules, this results in 10 ATP. Additionally, each glyceraldehyde-3-phosphate enters the citric acid cycle, producing 1 ATP, 3 NADH (9 ATP), and 1 FADH2 (2 ATP), totaling 12 ATP per glyceraldehyde-3-phosphate. With 2 glyceraldehyde-3-phosphate molecules, this results in 24 ATP. Adding the 10 ATP from glycolysis gives a total of 34 ATP. However, considering the conversion of NADH to ATP in the mitochondria, the total can be approximated to 36 ATP.

Assuming a Fat Molecule Can Be Oxidized into 2 Glycerol