When tributyrase acts on tributyrin, which are the end products?

Prepare for the Microbial Metabolism Test. Utilize flashcards and multiple choice questions with helpful hints and detailed explanations. Ace your test with ease!

Tributyrase cleaves the ester bonds in a triglyceride, releasing the glycerol backbone and the fatty acids. Tributyrin is glycerol tri-butyrate, so hydrolysis yields one glycerol molecule and three butyric acid (a fatty acid) molecules. So the end products are glycerol and fatty acids. Ethanol isn’t produced in this reaction.