Question:easy
Which of the following is the most abundant end product of fatty acid synthesis?
Which of the following is the most abundant end product of fatty acid synthesis?
Show Hint
Fatty acid synthase stops at 16 carbons - which saturated acid is that?
Updated On: Jun 24, 2026
- Oleic acid
- Palmitic acid
- Arachidonic acid
- Glucose
Show Solution
The Correct Option is B
Solution and Explanation
Step 1: Picture the fatty acid synthase machine. It loads acetyl-CoA and malonyl-CoA and runs cycles of condensation, reduction, dehydration and reduction, growing the chain two carbons at a time.
Step 2: The complex stops and releases the chain once it reaches 16 carbons, so the direct, most abundant output is the saturated $C_{16}$ acid, palmitate, which is palmitic acid.
Step 3: Anything longer or unsaturated, like stearic acid or oleic acid, is made afterward by separate elongase and desaturase systems, so they are not the primary product.
Step 4: Arachidonic acid is a polyunsaturated derivative of the essential fatty acid linoleic acid, and glucose is not a lipid at all, leaving palmitic acid as the answer.
\[\boxed{\text{Palmitic acid}}\]
Step 2: The complex stops and releases the chain once it reaches 16 carbons, so the direct, most abundant output is the saturated $C_{16}$ acid, palmitate, which is palmitic acid.
Step 3: Anything longer or unsaturated, like stearic acid or oleic acid, is made afterward by separate elongase and desaturase systems, so they are not the primary product.
Step 4: Arachidonic acid is a polyunsaturated derivative of the essential fatty acid linoleic acid, and glucose is not a lipid at all, leaving palmitic acid as the answer.
\[\boxed{\text{Palmitic acid}}\]
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