Question

Define RQ. What is its value for fats?

Answer 1

Answer. Respiratory quotient (RQ) or respiratory ratio can be defined as the ratio of the volume of CO2 evolved to the volume of O2 consumed during respiration. The value of respiratory quotient depends on the type of respiratory substrate. Its value is one for carbohydrates.

Answer 2

Explanation:

Respiratory quotient or the breathing ratio can be defined as the ratio of Carbon di oxide (CO2) volume to Oxygen (O2) volume consumed during breathing. The breathing quotient function depends on the type of breathing surface. The carbohydrate value is one.

Nonetheless, it is always less than one fat since fats require more oxygen for respiration than carbohydrates.  The example of tripalmitin fatty acid, which absorbs 145 O2 molecules for respiration while 102 CO2 molecules are developing, explains this. The Tripalmitin's RQ value is 0.7