Why is the carnitine shuttle necessary for oxidation of fatty acids? a. because the lipid bilayer may confuse the incoming fatty acids as part of the membrane. without the carnitine shuttle, the lipid bilayer may incorporate the fatty acids into the membrane instead of breaking it down via oxidation. b.because fatty acids cannot directly pass through the mitochondrial membranes. c.because fatty acids must be "tenderized" - i. e., multiple functional groups are added in order to facilitate rapid breakdown of fats. otherwise, the breakdown without modification will take too long to be efficient. d.because fatty acids are too small - the enzymes necessary to break down fatty acids, such as acyl-coa dehydrogenase cannot recognize the fatty acids without further modification. e.none of the above