Why cant yeast use glycolysis without alcoholic fermentation when oxygen (O2) is not available ?
In Glycolysis each glucose molecule is broken down into 2 Pyruvate molecules.
-DuringGlycolysis , an electron acceptor molecule called NAD+ is reduced to form NADH , gathering up the electrons by breaking one glucose down to pyruvate molecules.
- This exchange of electrons that occurs while glucose is being broken down is essentially what helps to build ATP. so the acceptor NAD+ is necessary for production of ATP from glycolysis. NAD+ has to be regenerated in order to form ATP continuously from glycolysis.
- In the alcoholic fermentation, there conversion of pyruvate into alcohol occurs . This conversion takes electrons away from NADH to form NAD+.
-Hence alcohol fermentation is necessary to generate NAD+ which is essential for production of ATP during glycolysis when Oxygen is not available.
Hope you got your answer, thanks.
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