FOOD METABOLISM

Prof. Dr. Supartono, M,S

Chemistry Department
Semarang State University
 Metabolism
Total of all chemical changes that occur in
body. Includes:
Anabolism: energy-requiring process where small
molecules joined to form larger molecules
E.g. Glucose + Glucose
Catabolism: energy-releasing process where
large molecules broken down to smaller
Energy in carbohydrates, lipids, proteins is
used to produce ATP through oxidation-
reduction reactions

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 Metabolic Pathways
The enzymatic reactions of
metabolism form a network of
interconnected chemical reactions,
or pathways.

The molecules of the pathway are

called intermediates because the
products of one reaction become the
substrates of the next.

Enzymes control the flow of energy

through a pathway.

Intermediary Metabolism

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 Oxidation-Reduction Reactions
Oxidation occurs via the loss of hydrogen or the
gain of oxygen
Whenever one substance is oxidized, another
substance is reduced
Oxidized substances lose energy
Reduced substances gain energy
Coenzymes act as hydrogen (or electron)
acceptors
Two important coenzymes are nicotinamide
adenine dinucleotide (NAD+) and flavin adenine
dinucleotide (FAD)

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 Stages of Metabolism
Energy-containing nutrients are
processed in three major stages:
1. Digestion breakdown of
food; nutrients are transported to
tissues
2. Anabolism and formation of
catabolic intermediates where
nutrients are:
Built into lipids, proteins,
and glycogen or
Broken down by catabolic
pathways to pyruvic acid and
acetyl CoA.
3. Oxidative breakdown
nutrients are catabolized to carbon
dioxide, water, and ATP

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Figure
 Carbohydrate Metabolism
Since all carbohydrates are transformed into glucose,
it is essentially glucose metabolism

Oxidation of glucose is shown by the overall reaction:

C6H12O6 + 6O2 6H2O + 6CO2 + 36 ATP + heat

Glucose is catabolized in three pathways

Glycolysis
Krebs cycle
The electron transport chain and oxidative
phosphorylation

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 Carbohydrate Catabolism

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Figure
 Glycolysis
A three-phase pathway in which:
Glucose is oxidized into pyruvic acid (PA)
It loses 2 pairs of hydrogens
NAD+ is reduced to NADH + H+
It accepts 2 pairs of hydrogens lost by glucose
ATP is synthesized by substrate-level
phosphorylation
Pyruvic acid: end-product of glycolysis
Moves on to the Krebs cycle in an aerobic
pathway (i.e. sufficient oxygen available to cell)
Is reduced to lactic acid in an anaerobic
environment (insufficient O2 available to cell)
pyruvic acid lactic aicd
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 Glycolysis

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Figure 24.6
 Glycolysis: Phase 1 and 2
Phase 1: Sugar activation
Two ATP molecules activate glucose into
fructose-1,6-diphosphate
The 1 and 6 indicate which carbon atom to
which they are attached.
Phase 2: Sugar cleavage (splitting)
Fructose-1,6-bisphosphate (6 Cs) is split
into two 3-carbon compounds:
Glyceraldehyde 3-phosphate (GAP)
Bishdroxyacetonephosphate

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 Glycolysis: Phase 3
Phase 3: Oxidation and ATP formation
The 3-carbon sugars are oxidized (reducing
NAD+); i.e., 2 Hs + NAD NADH2
Inorganic phosphate groups (Pi) are attached
to each oxidized fragment
The terminal phosphates are cleaved and
captured by ADP to form four ATP molecules
The final products are:
Two pyruvic acid molecules
Two NADH + H+ molecules (reduced NAD+)
A net gain of two ATP molecules
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Figure 3-41

Glycolysis: A net
gain of 2
molecules of ATP
and 4 atoms
of hydrogen.

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 Krebs Cycle: Preparatory Step
Occurs in the mitochondrial matrix and is fueled by
pyruvic acid and fatty acids
Pyruvic acid from glycolysis is converted to acetyl
coenzyme A (A-CoA) in three main steps:
Decarboxylation
1 carbon is removed from pyruvic acid; 3C 2C molecule
The lost carbon forms carbon dioxide; exhaled
Oxidation
2 Hydrogen atoms are removed from pyruvic acid (oxidation)
and picked up by NAD
NAD+ is reduced to NADH + H+ (see next slide)
Formation of acetyl CoA the resulting acetic acid is combined
with coenzyme A, a sulfur-containing coenzyme, to form acetyl CoA
(ACoA)
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Figure 3-43

Each transition of pyruvate

to acetyl coenzyme A yields
one NADH and one CO2.
The acetyl coenzyme A
then enters the Krebs cycle.

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 Krebs Cycle
An eight-step cycle in which each acetic acid is
decarboxylated and oxidized, generating:
Three molecules of NADH + H+ (ox/red)
One molecule of FADH2 (ox/red)
Two molecules of CO2 (decarboxylation)
One molecule of ATP (substrate level
phosphorylation
For each molecule of glucose entering glycolysis,
two molecules of acetyl CoA enter the Krebs
cycle
Remember, 1 6 C Glucose 2-2 carbon
acetyl coenzyme A (A-CoA)
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 Krebs Cycle

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Figure 24.7
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 Electron Transport Chain
Food (glucose) is oxidized and the released hydrogens:
Are transported by coenzymes NADH and FADH2
Enter a chain of proteins bound to metal atoms
(cofactors)
Combine with molecular oxygen to form water
Release energy
The energy released is harnessed to attach inorganic
phosphate groups (Pi) to ADP, making ATP by oxidative
phosphorylation
phosphorylation - to add phosphate to a substance
ADP + P ATP

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Mechanism of Oxidative Phosphorylation
The hydrogens delivered to the chain are split into protons
(H+) and electrons
The protons are pumped across the inner mitochondrial
membrane to the intermembrane space
This creates a pH and concentration gradient (of H+)
The electrons are shuttled from one acceptor to the next
Electrons are delivered to oxygen, forming oxygen ions
Oxygen ions attract H+ that were pumped into the
intermembrane space to form water
H+ that were pumped to the intermembrane space:
Diffuse down their gradients back to the matrix via ATP
synthase (from greater to lesser concentration)
Release energy to make ATP
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 Electron-Transport Chain

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 ATP Synthase
The enzyme
consists of three
parts: a rotor, a
knob, and a rod
Current created
by H+ causes the
rotor and rod to
rotate
This rotation
activates catalytic
sites in the knob
where ADP and Pi
are combined to
make ATP

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 Anaerobic Respiration
Breakdown of glucose
in absence of oxygen
Produces 2 molecules
of lactic acid and 2
molecules of ATP
Phases
Glycolysis
Lactic acid formation

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 Lipid Metabolism
Most products of fat metabolism are transported in
lymph as chylomicrons
Lipids in chylomicrons are hydrolyzed by plasma
enzymes and absorbed by cells
Only neutral fats are routinely oxidized for energy
Catabolism of fats involves two separate pathways
Glycerol pathway
Fatty acids pathway

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Lipolysis
via
b-oxidation

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 Lipid Synthesis

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 Protein Metabolism

Non-essential amino acids can be formed by

transamination, transfer of an amine group
to keto acid. Can also be eaten.

If used for energy, amino acids undergo

oxidative deamination. Ammonia and keto
acids are produced as by-products of
oxidative deamination. Ammonia is
converted to urea and excreted.

Amino acids are not stored in the body

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 Protein Catabolism

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 Interconversion of Nutrient
Molecules
Glycogenesis
Excess glucose used to form glycogen
Lipogenesis
When glycogen stores filled, glucose and amino acids used
to synthesize lipids
Glycogenolysis
Breakdown of glycogen to glucose
Gluconeogenesis
Formation of glucose from amino acids and glycerol

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Interconversion of Nutrient Molecules

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 Summary: Carbohydrate
Metabolic Reactions

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Table
 Summary: Lipid and Protein
Metabolic Reactions

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Table