Question
Define RQ. What is its value for fats?
Solution
Respiratory Quotient is the ratio of the volume of CO2 evolved to the volume of O2 consumed in respiration.
The RQ for carbohydrates is 1. The RQ for fat and protein is less than 1.
For example: Calculations for a fatty acid, tripalmitin
2(C51H98O6) + 145O2 → 102CO2 + 98H2O + energy
RQ = Volume of CO2 evolved/Volume of O2 consumed
= 102 CO2/145O2 = 0.7
