Question

Respiratory Quotient (RQ) value of tripalmitinis:

• A. 0.9
• B. 0.7
• C. 0.07
• D. 0.09

Answer 1

The Correct Option is B

To solve the given question about the Respiratory Quotient (RQ) value of tripalmitin, we need to understand what the RQ value represents. The Respiratory Quotient is the ratio of the volume of carbon dioxide produced to the volume of oxygen consumed during metabolism.

The formula for calculating the RQ is:

RQ = \frac{\text{CO}_2 \text{ produced}}{\text{O}_2 \text{ consumed}}

Different macronutrients have characteristic RQ values:

• Carbohydrates: RQ = 1.0, as they require and produce equal moles of O₂ and CO₂.
• Proteins: RQ ≈ 0.8, due to deamination and varying levels of fat content.
• Fats: RQ ≈ 0.7, as they have more carbon and hydrogen and less oxygen than carbohydrates, leading to more oxygen consumption and less CO₂ release.

Tripalmitin is a type of fat (specifically a triglyceride of palmitic acid), and for fats, as mentioned, the RQ is approximately 0.7. This is because fats have a higher ratio of carbon and hydrogen to oxygen, requiring more oxygen to oxidize them completely compared to carbohydrates.

Thus, the correct RQ value for tripalmitin is 0.7.

Let's rule out the other options:

• 0.9: This RQ is typically not associated with any macronutrient, especially not fats.
• 0.07 and 0.09: These values are too low and do not align with the characteristics of metabolic RQ values for common nutrients.

Hence, the correct answer is indeed 0.7.