Importance of step-wise release of energy :

Step-wise oxidation of food in cells is advantageous in following ways :

I. Due to step-wise release of chemical bond energy, a maximum proportion of it is used in the synthesis of ATP molecules.

2. Temperature of cell does not rise as total energy is not produced at one time.

3. The rate of energy output can be controlled according to cells requirement by increasing or decreasing the action of the enzymes at different steps.

4. Intermediates of the pathway can be used for the synthesis of other biomolecules like amino acids.