What happens during anaerobic glycolysis?

During anaerobic glycolysis, glucose is broken down into pyruvate, but instead of being fully oxidized in the citric acid cycle, pyruvate is converted into lactate (in animals) or ethanol and CO2 (in yeast) through fermentation. This allows NADH to be oxidized back to NAD+, which is essential for the continuation of glycolysis in the absence of oxygen. Anaerobic glycolysis produces a small amount of ATP compared to aerobic processes.