zh:zh|β-氧化 β-氧化指的是脂肪酸氧化分解，最终产生乙酰辅酶A（Acetyl-CoA）和酮体的过程。

就和脂肪酸合成一样，脂肪酸的分解也是逐步进行的。脂肪酸首先变成Acyl-CoA的活化形式。

接下来反应有4个步骤：

β-碳原子分别在第2.4步骤反应中被氧化为羟基和再进一步成为酮基。脱下的氢离子和电子会被FADH₂ 和 NADH + H带到电子传递链产生能量。每进行一次β-氧化，一个乙酰辅酶A就会断裂离开，脂肪酸分子脱下了两个碳原子。过程不断重复直到脂肪酸彻底分解。

生成的乙酰辅酶A可以进一步到三羧酸循环中或者用于合成酮体。

In biochemistry and metabolism, beta-oxidation is the catabolic process by which fatty acid molecules are broken down in the cytosol in prokaryotes and in the mitochondria in eukaryotes to generate acetyl-CoA, which enters the citric acid cycle, and NADH and FADH₂, which are co-enzymes used in the electron transport chain. It is named as such because the beta carbon of the fatty acid undergoes oxidation to a carbonyl group. Various mechanisms have evolved to handle the large variety of fatty acids.