What are the primary products of one turn of the Krebs cycle?

The primary products of one turn of the Krebs cycle, also known as the citric acid cycle or TCA cycle, include three NADH, one FADH2, and one ATP (or GTP), along with the release of carbon dioxide (CO2).

During the Krebs cycle, each acetyl-CoA molecule is oxidized, resulting in the reduction of NAD+ and FAD to NADH and FADH2, which are important electron carriers that will later participate in the electron transport chain to generate additional ATP. The production of one ATP (or GTP, which is easily converted to ATP) represents the direct energy yield from substrate-level phosphorylation within the cycle.

Moreover, the cycle also releases two molecules of CO2 as byproducts, which account for the decarboxylation reactions that occur. The stoichiometry of these products is key to understanding how energy is extracted from nutrients through aerobic respiration and highlights the efficiency of the Krebs cycle in cellular metabolism.