During cellular respiration, specifically during the glycolysis phase, the process converts glucose into pyruvic acid (or pyruvate) and produces a total of four ATP molecules. However, it is important to note that two ATP molecules are consumed in the initial steps of glycolysis, resulting in a net gain of two ATP molecules.
In addition to ATP, glycolysis also produces two molecules of nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide (NADH) and two molecules of pyruvic acid. The NADH plays a crucial role in the electron transport chain during aerobic respiration or can be used in fermentation processes when oxygen is not available. Therefore, the overall products from glycolysis are:
- 2 ATP (net gain)
- 2 NADH
- 2 molecules of pyruvic acid
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