What is the fate of pyruvic acid in anaerobic respiration?

Sourav PanDecember 14, 2024

Answered

In anaerobic respiration, pyruvic acid (pyruvate) undergoes fermentation to regenerate NAD+, allowing glycolysis to continue producing ATP in the absence of oxygen. In muscle cells, pyruvate is converted into lactate through lactic acid fermentation by the enzyme lactate dehydrogenase. This conversion allows glycolysis to continue, but it yields only 2 ATP molecules per glucose molecule. In yeast and certain bacteria, pyruvate is converted into ethanol and carbon dioxide through alcoholic fermentation. Although anaerobic respiration produces less ATP compared to aerobic respiration, it is necessary for cells to generate energy when oxygen is limited or unavailable.

Did this page help you?

Start Asking Questions Cancel reply

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

Quiz Leaderboard

1st

Debabrata

Score: 100%

Questions: 20

2nd

Debabrata

Score: 100%

Questions: 20

3rd

Debabrata

Score: 100%

Questions: 20

4th

Sourav

Score: 90%

Questions: 20

5th

Priyanka

Score: 90%

Questions: 10

6th

Nischal

Score: 90%

Questions: 10

7th

Vesnce

Score: 45%

Questions: 20

8th

Hector

Score: 40%

Questions: 10

9th

Hykss

Score: 20%

Questions: 10

Click "Create Mock Test" to start a quiz.
Select categories and the number of questions, then click "Submit" to begin.
After completing the quiz, enter your name and email, then click "Submit" to view your score.
Your score is shown as a percentage (e.g., 5 correct out of 10 is 50%).
The leaderboard displays your name, score percentage, and total questions answered.

Click here to Create Mock Test