preview

Glycolysis, Krebs Cycle And The Electron Transfer Chain

Satisfactory Essays
Open Document

Cellular respiration is defined as the process by which the chemical energy of food molecules is released and converted into usable energy in the form of adenosine triphosphate (ATP). (Encyclopaedia Britannica Online, 2015) Excluding viruses, all living organisms respire. (kids.net.au, 2015) There are two types of respiration; aerobic and anaerobic. Aerobic respiration occurs in the presence of oxygen. Anaerobic respiration occurs when there is an absence of oxygen. (kids.net.au, 2015) Cellular respiration occurs in three main stages: glycolysis, Krebs cycle and the Electron Transfer Chain. (Encyclopaedia Britannica Online, 2015) Glycolysis is the anaerobic process of breaking down glucose into what is known as pyruvate. Pyruvate can be broken down further in The Krebs cycle, which is an aerobic process where glucose is converted to ATP. …show more content…

If there is insufficient oxygen after glycolysis, then the anaerobic side process of fermentation occurs. In humans, this produces lactic acid. Like all living organisms, yeast undergoes cellular respiration. Yeast is a unicellular organism found in the fungi kingdom. (Red Star Yeast, 2014) Saccharomyces Cerevisiae, commonly known as baker’s yeast, is essential to the brewing of alcoholic beverages. Yeast consumes “food” such as sugar to obtain the energy required to grow. By doing so, ethanol (alcohol) is produced. This is known as alcoholic

Get Access