What is the purpose of fermentation?

1 Answer
Meave60
Oct 22, 2014

Glycolysis, the first step in both anaerobic and aerobic respiration produces pyruvate (pyruvic acid), a net gain of 2ATP which can be used by the cell to do work, and reduces #"NAD"^+# to #"NADH"#.

The purpose of fermentation is to clear the pyruvate and to oxidize NADH to NAD+, which is used again in glycolysis with another glucose molecule. Without fermentation in anaerobic respiration, glyolysis will eventually stop when all of the NAD+ is reduced to NADH. Therefore, there will be no net gain of 2ATP, and the cell or organism will die,

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