Lesson 4.

Anaerobic Respiration
and Fermentation
Objectives describe the process of
1 anaerobic respiration; and
At the end
of the
lesson, you differentiate aerobic and
should be
2 anaerobic respiration.
able to:
Learn about It!
 Learn about It!

Anaerobic Respiration
• It does not rely on the presence of oxygen to produce ATP.
• It occurs in some bacteria.
• Glucose still undergoes glycolysis, citric acid cycle, and
oxidative phosphorylation.
 Learn about It!

Anaerobic Respiration
• The final electron acceptors are inorganic electron
acceptors other than oxygen to generate ATP. These
inorganic electron acceptors may include nitrates, sulfates,
and carbonates.

• It produces less ATP compared to aerobic respiration.

 Learn about It!

Fermentation
• It happens in the absence of oxygen
• It allows cells to produce ATP.
• Sugars such as glucose are partially degraded without
oxygen. Among the three stages of cellular respiration, only
glycolysis can produce ATP with or without oxygen.
 Learn about It!

Fermentation
• To produce ATP, glycolysis couples with fermentation.
• It starts with the consumption of pyruvate, which is the
end-product for glycolysis. NAD, also another end-product
during glycolysis, is recycled in fermentation.
 Learn about It!

Alcohol Fermentation
• It occurs in bacteria and fungi such as yeast.
• Pyruvate produced from glycolysis is converted into
ethanol.
 Learn about It!
Lactic Acid Fermentation
• It occurs to some bacteria, plants and most animals.
• Pyruvate pyruvate is directly reduced by NADH to form
lactate as a waste product.
 Learn about It!

Applications of Fermentation
• The process of alcohol
fermentation is commonly
used to produce beer, wine,
and other alcoholic
beverages.
 Learn about It!

Applications of Fermentation
• Yeast, a fungus that undergoes
alcoholic fermentation, is used to
raise dough in making bread due
to the production of carbon
dioxide.

• Dairy products such as yoghurt

and cheese are produced by lactic
acid fermentation.
Key Points

Anaerobic respiration does not rely on the presence of

1 oxygen to produce ATP.

In alcohol fermentation, pyruvate is converted into

2 ethanol. In lactic acid fermentation, pyruvate is directly
reduced to NADH to form lactate.

Photosynthesis and respiration are two complementary

3 processes in the biosphere.
 Check Your Understanding

Complete the table below.

Alcoholic Lactic Acid
Fermentation Fermentation
Reactants

Products

ATP Yield

NADH Yield

CO2 Yield
 Challenge Yourself

When doing strenuous activities, the muscle cannot

obtain enough oxygen that it needs. It sometimes
leads to muscle cramps. How is muscle cramps
related to anaerobic respiration? Is breathing
enough to lessen the pain of muscle cramps?
 Bibliography
Berg, J. et. al. 2012. Biochemistry. 5th ed. New York: WH Freeman.

BBC. "GCSE Bitesize: Photosynthesis and respiration." 2014. Accessed May 2017.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/schools/gcsebitesize/science/add_ocr_gateway/green_world/photosynthesisre
v1.shtml.

Nelson, D. and Cox, M. 2012. Lehninger Principles of Biochemistry. 6th ed. New York: WH Freeman.

Pickering, W.R. 2011. Complete Biology for Cambridge IGCSE. Oxford: Oxford University Press.

Reece, Jane, et. al. 2011. Campbell Biology. 10th ed. United States: Pearson Education.