Explainer – 8 – Mitochondria, The Powerhouse of the cell

We must have heard this phrase a lot “Mitochondria is the Powerhouse of the cell”, now lets study this deep.

What do we mean by the powerhouse of the cell?, we call mitochondria the Powerhouse because it supplies all the energy needed for most cellular activities.

Mitochondria has two membranes:-

• The outer membrane is smooth and has pores in it.
• The inner membrane is folded with Finger – Like Projections called Cristae.
• This Cristae increases the surface area for Chemical Reactions and helps in energy production.

ENERGY CURRENCY (ATP)

• In mitochondria, Glucose and other products are broken down to release energy during a process called cellular respiration. 
• This energy released is stored in the form of a molecule called adenosine triphosphate also known as ATP.
• This ATP acts as the energy currency and helps in most of the cellular activities. 

In the next explainer we will talk about plastids.