Question

If your muscle cells used alcohol fermentation instead of lactic acid fermentation, which of the following might occur under low oxygen conditions?

A) You would no longer be able to regenerate NAD+

B) You would no longer be able to produce ATP

C) You would produce ethanol instead of lactic acid

D) You would produce less CO2

Answer 1

Answer: C) You would produce ethanol instead of lactic acid

Reason:

Fermentation is an anaerobic metabolic process in which sugars are converted into acids, carbon dioxide, alcohol or gases. Many of the bacteria and yeast can perform fermentation, which liberates carbon dioxide. So, more carbon dioxide is being produced means the speed of fermentation is high and vice versa.

In muscle cell acohol fermentation, NADH+ will be oxidised to NAD+ an also produces ATP by using glycolysis of glucose. ATP an ethanol will be the end products instead of lactic acid.

The organic fermatation chemical equation illustrates that the alcoholic fermentation of glucose (C₆H₁₂O₆₎, Oxidative fermentation of the one glucose molecule of the carbohydrate is converted into two individual ethanol or alchohol molecules and two carbon dioxide molecules. Pyruvate is the intermediate product in this oxidative fermentation. Crabondioxide can be detected as bubble forming inside the fermentation tank.

                                     C₆H₁₂O₆                ?        2 C₂H₅OH + 2 CO₂

Lactic acid fermentation:

It is considered as an anerobic fermentation reaction which can produce energy and lactate as metabolic product upon glucose oxidation with potential microbe such as Clostridium pasteurianum. Further lactate is converted to the alcohol and CO₂ through phosphoketolase pathway.

C₆H₁₂O₆      ?    CH₃CHOHCOOH + C₂H₅OH + CO₂.

Mixed acid fermentation: Using bacteria species Clostridium pasteurianum mixed acid fermentation can be carried out thereby anaerobic oxidation of glucose finally result in the production of byproducts as hydrogen gas, butyrate, and acetate compounds, including gas carbon dioxide. The following the reaction that represents the hydrogen gas production.

C₆H₁₂O₆ (glucose)+ 4 H₂O ? 2 CH₃COO? (acetate) + 2 HCO₃? (carbonic anion) + 4 H+ (acid)+ 4 H₂ (hydrogen gas).