A yeast cell is placed into an anaerobic glucose medium.

Question

Through which process will the yeast produce ATP?

Answer 1

In the absence of oxygen (anaerobic conditions), yeast cells undergo a process called fermentation to produce ATP. Specifically, they perform alcoholic fermentation, which involves a series of chemical reactions known as glycolysis. During glycolysis, glucose is converted into two molecules of pyruvate. This process generates a small amount of ATP and nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide (NADH). The pyruvate is then converted into ethanol and carbon dioxide in a process known as ethanol fermentation. This fermentation process regenerates NAD+ from the NADH produced in glycolysis, allowing glycolysis to continue and produce additional ATP. Overall, through alcoholic fermentation, yeast can generate ATP in the absence of oxygen.