Anaerobic respiration

and
applications of fermentation
in food industry
(a)explain the anaerobic respiration in yeast and muscle cells;
describe the applications of anaerobic respiration in food industries
(bread, tapai and yogurt).
anaerobic respiration : oxygen is substituted
• anaerobic respiration,
• Which takes place in certain prokaryotic organisms that live in environments without
oxygen.
• These organisms have an electron transport chain but do not use oxygen as a final
electron acceptor at the end of the chain.
Oxygen performs this function very well because it is extremely electronegative, but
other, less electronegative substances can also serve as final electron acceptors.
Some “sulfate-reducing” marine bacteria, for instance, use the sulfate ion (SO4

) at the end of their respiratory chain. Operation of the chain builds up a protonmotive
2-

force used to produce ATP, but H S (hydrogen sulfide)

2

Campbell 179
Fermentation : oxygen not used, pyruvate does not
enter the mitochondrion. NADH is oxidised without
producing any ATP

Campbell , 180
 There is a limited amount of NAD+ in cells

If NAD+ is not regenerated, glycolysis will stop due

to lack of the coenzyme (negative statement)

Pyruvate is converted to ethanol in order to

regenerate the NAD+

Pyruvate
decarboxylase

Alcohol dehydrogenase
Alcohol Fermentation (from Rice page 213)
Another familiar fermentation process is alcohol fermentation ( Figure 7.15) that produces
ethanol, an
alcohol. The first chemical reaction of alcohol fermentation is the following (CO 2 does not
participate in
the second reaction):
Pyruvic acid → CO2 + acetaldehyde + NADH → ethanol + NAD+
The first reaction is catalyzed by pyruvate decarboxylase, a cytoplasmic enzyme , with a
coenzyme of thiamine pyrophosphate (TPP, derived from vitamin B1 and also called thiamine).
A carboxyl group is removed from pyruvic acid, releasing carbon dioxide as a gas.
The loss of carbon dioxide reduces the size of the molecule by one carbon, making acetaldehyde.
The second reaction is catalyzed by alcohol dehydrogenase to oxidize NADH to NAD+ and
reduce acetaldehyde to ethanol.
The fermentation of pyruvic acid by yeast produces the ethanol found in alcoholic beverages.
Ethanol tolerance of yeast is variable, ranging from about 5 percent to 21 percent, depending on
the yeast strain and environmental conditions
 In humans / animals the lactate
dehydrogenase is only found in
the liver,
Therefore the lactic acid is
transported by blood to the liver
to be converted back to glucose
(5/6) while 1/6 of it is oxidise

Lactate dehydrogenase
Lactic Acid Fermentation(from Rice , pg 212)
The fermentation method used by animals and certain bacteria, like those in yogurt, is lactic acid
fermentation ( Figure 7.14). This type of fermentation is used routinely in mammalian red blood cells
and in skeletal muscle that has an insufficient oxygen supply to allow aerobic respiration to continue
(that is, in muscles used to the point of fatigue). In muscles, lactic acid accumulation must be removed by
the blood circulation and the lactate brought to the liver for further metabolism. The chemical reactions
of lactic acid fermentation are the following:
210 CHAPTER 7 | CELLULAR RESPIRATION
This content is available for free at http://cnx.org/content/col11448/1.9

Pyruvic acid + NADH ↔ lactic acid + NAD+

The enzyme used in this reaction is lactate dehydrogenase (LDH). The reaction can proceed in
either direction, but the reaction from left to right is inhibited by acidic conditions. Such lactic acid
accumulation was once believed to cause muscle stiffness, fatigue, and soreness, although more recent
research disputes this hypothesis. Once the lactic acid has been removed from the muscle and circulated
to the liver, it can be reconverted into pyruvic acid and further catabolized for energy.
Recovery from oxygen
debt using Cori cycle
Only apply to vertebrates,
fish to mammals
Bacteria excrete the
lactate
Yeast excrete the ethanol
and carbon dioxide.
• The organism does not use the electron transport chain because of
the absence // lack of oxygen
• In an very active muscle, (intensive physical activity) aerobic
respiration and fermentation / anaerobic respiration occurs side by
side / simultaneously
• What is the evidence of this? During intensive physical activity the
blood supply to muscle is increase, heart beat faster, more oxygen is
transported to the muscle for aerobic respiration. Aerobic respiration
is insufficient to meet the high demand for ATP, so is supplemented
with anaerobic respiration.
Basics
Sugar is required

Ethanol is a by product
of fermentation that is actually toxic to yeast; as it
approaches a concentration of about 12%, it begins to kill
the yeast.
At the isoelectric point of the milk proteins, the proteins coagulate since their molecules are neutral. Neutral protein molecules
do not repel each other.
Bread making
• Flour, yeast and sugar
• Flour has starch and protein for forming the bread
• Sugar for respiration of yeast
• Keep dough warm for 2 hours
• Yeast may respire aerobically or anaerobically
• Produce co2
• Creat bubbles in the dough
• Baking make air bubbles expand and produce the honeycomb structure of
leaven bread
• the baking 200 C , all ethanol is evaporated.
What is isoelectric point?
• Is a pH
• At which the amino acid or protein has no net charge
• Is either neutral or is a zwitterion
Why isoelectric point converts milk(a
colloid) to yogurt (a suspension)
• At isoelectric point the milk protein is least soluble
• Being neutral the proteins do not repel each other but coagulate
• Forms a semi solid , yogurt
Why is fermentation important?
• In a situation without refrigeration, fermentation is a way of
preservation.
• Ferment milk to yogurt, other bacteria will not be able to grow in the
acidic milk
• Ferment rice to tapai it is also preserved
• Increase the variety of food. Tapai, yogurt,
• Leaven bread is much better than unleaven bread