Results for “what is fermentation in biology” · retrieved September 22, 2026
Fermentation is an anaerobic biological process that breaks down organic compounds to produce energy without using oxygen or an electron transport system.
In biology, fermentation is an anaerobic metabolic pathway that allows cells to generate energy, typically in the form of ATP, by breaking down organic molecules like glucose. Unlike cellular respiration, it does not use an electron transport system or oxygen. Instead, it relies on glycolysis to produce a small amount of ATP and then uses an organic molecule, such as pyruvate, as a final electron acceptor to regenerate NAD+. This regeneration is essential for glycolysis to continue, ensuring the cell can maintain a basic energy supply in oxygen-deprived environments. Common types include lactic acid and alcohol fermentation.
Answer details
Energy Production
It functions as an energy-yielding pathway that allows cells to continue producing ATP through glycolysis when oxygen is unavailable.
NAD+ Regeneration
To keep glycolysis running, fermentation regenerates NAD+ by transferring electrons from NADH to an organic molecule, such as pyruvate or acetaldehyde.
Common Types
Common forms include lactic acid fermentation, used by muscle cells and some bacteria, and alcohol fermentation, used by yeast to produce ethanol and carbon dioxide.
Industrial Use
Beyond its metabolic role, the term is also used industrially to describe the large-scale cultivation of microorganisms to produce substances like biofuels, pharmaceuticals, and food products.
Sources 8
About this answerFermentation | Definition, Process, & Facts
is fermentation?...Fermentation is a chemical process where molecules like glucose are broken down without oxygen. This process, used for millennia in making wine and beer, creates frothing from carbon dioxide release. Louis Pasteur defined fermentation as changes from yeasts and microbes growing without air, noting that ethyl alcohol and carbon dioxide aren't the only results....Today, fermentation means the enzyme-driven, energy-releasing pathw
September 18, 2026
fermentation - Molecular Biology of the Cell - NCBI Bookshelf
Anaerobic energy-yielding metabolic pathway in which pyruvate produced byglycolysisis converted, for example, into lactate or ethanol, with the conversion of NADH to NAD+.
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8.4 Fermentation - Microbiology | OpenStax
- Define fermentation and explain why it does not require oxygen- Describe the fermentation pathways and their end products and give examples of microorganisms that use these pathways- Compare and contrast fermentation and anaerobic respiration...If respiration does not occur, NADH must be reoxidized to NAD + for reuse as an electron carrier for glycolysis, the cell’s only mechanism for producing any ATP, to continue. Some living systems use an o
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4.4 Fermentation - Concepts of Biology | OpenStax
In aerobic respiration, the final electron acceptor is an oxygen molecule, O 2. If aerobic respiration occurs, then ATP will be produced using the energy of the high-energy electrons carried by NADH or FADH 2 to the electron transport chain. If aerobic respiration does not occur, NADH must be reoxidized to NAD + for reuse as an electron carrier for glycolysis to continue. How is this done? In some living systems the electron transport chain (ETC)
April 25, 2013
IUPAC - fermentation (F02337)
1. In metabolism, the dehydrogenating degradation of organic substance by organisms or cells under anaerobic conditions in which electrons are transferred to metabolites which accumulate and are excreted in reduced form. Fermentation is only possible if the organism is able to gain energy by this process....2. In microbiology, the process in which cells (microorganisms, plant or animal cells) are cultured in a bioreactor in liquid or solid medium
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Learn and try: Fermentation and anaerobic respiration
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8.4: Fermentation - Biology LibreTexts
- Define fermentation and explain why it does not require oxygen- Describe the fermentation pathways and their end products and give examples of microorganisms that use these pathways- Compare and contrast fermentation and anaerobic respiration...If respiration does not occur, NADH must be reoxidized to NAD + for reuse as an electron carrier for glycolysis, the cell’s only mechanism for producing any ATP, to continue. Some living systems use an o
July 10, 2016
Fermentation - Definition and Examples - Biology Online Dictionary
ˈfɝmɛnteɪʃən An anaerobic cellular process in which an organic food is converted into simpler compounds, and chemical energy (ATP) is produced...What is fermentation? Fermentation is the breaking down of sugar molecules into simpler compounds to produce substances that can be used in making chemical energy. Chemical energy, typically in the form of ATP, is important as it drives various biological processes. Fermentation does not use oxygen; thus
September 11, 2020
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