Explain Fermentation.
It occurs in some organisms like some bacteria that produce lactic acid from pyruvic acid. In animal cells, such as muscles during exercise, when O2 is inadequate for cellular exercise, the pyruvic acid is reduced to lactic acid by lactate dehydrogenase. The reducing agent is NADH+H+ that is reoxidized to NAD+ in both processes. In both lactic acid and alcohol fermentation not much energy is released; less than seven percent of the energy in glucose is released and not all it is trapped as high energy bonds of ATP. The processes are hazardous, either acid or alcohol is produced. Yeasts poison themselves to death when the concentration of alcohol reaches approximately 13%.
