For humans, linoleic acid is one of the essential fatty acids we must consume. It is plentiful in vegetable oils, and we use it
to form compounds involved in immune responses. When it is decomposed through a process called b-oxidation, it produces effectively 27 NADH, 9 FADH2 and 9 ATP in the Krebs cycle, along with 9 FADH2 and 9 NADH as part of the decomposition. Required:
How many ATP should this produce?
Total 18 ATP are produced because 9 FADH2 are converted into 9 ATP molecules and the earlier 9 ATP molecules are already present in the first b-oxidation process. The first Krebs cycle produces 27 NADH, 9 FADH2 and 9 ATP while on the other hand, the second Krebs cycle produces 9 ATP molecules from 9 FADH2 so total it produces 18 ATP molecules.
