<P> Fats are catabolised by hydrolysis to free fatty acids and glycerol . The glycerol enters glycolysis and the fatty acids are broken down by beta oxidation to release acetyl - CoA , which then is fed into the citric acid cycle . Fatty acids release more energy upon oxidation than carbohydrates because carbohydrates contain more oxygen in their structures . Steroids are also broken down by some bacteria in a process similar to beta oxidation , and this breakdown process involves the release of significant amounts of acetyl - CoA , propionyl - CoA , and pyruvate , which can all be used by the cell for energy . M. tuberculosis can also grow on the lipid cholesterol as a sole source of carbon , and genes involved in the cholesterol use pathway ( s ) have been validated as important during various stages of the infection lifecycle of M. tuberculosis . </P>
the process of changing fatty acids to several molecules of acetyl coa is called
beta oxidation