The Krebs Cycle Nutrition Science & Diet Therapy Nelson, 2014

Krebs Cycle  Named for Sir Hans A. Krebs, who first detailed the cycle in  Also referred to as the citric acid cycle and the tricarboxylic acid cycle because citric acid contains 3 carboxyl (CO2H) groups.

 The Krebs cycle is a series of chemical reactions that occur in the mitochondria of the cell.

What happens?  The carbon chains of carbohydrates, proteins, and fats are metabolized to yield carbon dioxide, water, and high- energy phosphate molecules.  The energy released during this cycle is turned into molecules of adenosine triphosphate- ATP.  ATP is a major source of energy for cellular metabolism.

 The Krebs cycle is an aerobic process. This means that oxygen is required!  The 8 step cycle begins when acetyl CoA is picked up by oxalacetic acid.  Essentially, 2 carbon coenzymes link with carbon compounds.  The created compounds go through a series of changes with the end product being 2 ATP molecules and carbon dioxide.  That ATP is used for cells to synthesize proteins from amino acids.

The Krebs Cycle is the major source of energy in living organisms.