In: Biology
NAD+ is regenerated .
Fermentation does not make ATP,
but it allows glycolysis to continue.
Fermentation removes electrons from
NADH molecules and recycles NAD +
molecules for glycolysis. Why is this
process important? Because glycolysis,
just like cellular respiration, needs a
molecule that picks up electrons. It
needs molecules of NAD + .
Without NAD + to pick up high-energy electrons from the
splitting of glucose,
glycolysis would stop. When the high-energy electrons are picked
up, though, a
eukaryotic cell can continue breaking down glucose and other simple
sugars to
make a small amount of ATP.
Suppose that a molecule of glucose has just been split by
glycolysis in one
of your muscle cells, but oxygen is unavailable. A process called
lactic acid
fermentation takes place. Lactic acid fermentation occurs in your
muscle cells,
the cells of other vertebrates, and in some microorganisms. Lactic
acid,
C 3 H 6 O 3 , is what causes your muscles to “burn” during hard
exercise.
Pyruvate and NADH from glycolysis enter the fermentation
process.
Two NADH molecules provide energy to convert pyruvate into
lactic
acid. As the NADH is used, it is converted back into NAD + .
Two molecules of NAD + are recycled back to glycolysis. The
recycling of
NAD + allows glycolysis to continue.
As you can see, the role of fermentation is simply to provide
glycolysis with
a steady supply of NAD + . By itself, fermentation does not produce
ATP.
Instead, it allows glycolysis to continue to produce ATP.