Which process must fats undergo before entering central metabolism?

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Multiple Choice

Which process must fats undergo before entering central metabolism?

Beta-oxidation is the process fats must undergo to enter central metabolism. Fats are stored as triglycerides; their fatty acids are activated to fatty acyl-CoA and then transported into mitochondria where beta-oxidation shortens the chain two carbons at a time, producing acetyl-CoA along with NADH and FADH2. The acetyl-CoA feeds directly into the citric acid cycle, a core part of central metabolism, to generate energy. The other options don’t fit because glycolysis handles sugars, fermentation is for anaerobic NAD+ regeneration rather than fat processing, and sulfur oxidation is a distinct pathway unrelated to fat catabolism.

Beta-oxidation is the process fats must undergo to enter central metabolism. Fats are stored as triglycerides; their fatty acids are activated to fatty acyl-CoA and then transported into mitochondria where beta-oxidation shortens the chain two carbons at a time, producing acetyl-CoA along with NADH and FADH2. The acetyl-CoA feeds directly into the citric acid cycle, a core part of central metabolism, to generate energy. The other options don’t fit because glycolysis handles sugars, fermentation is for anaerobic NAD+ regeneration rather than fat processing, and sulfur oxidation is a distinct pathway unrelated to fat catabolism.

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