Chemistry
Fermentation products contain chemical energy (they are not fully oxidized), but are considered waste products, since they cannot be metabolized further without the use of oxygen.
The chemical equation below shows the alcoholic fermentation of glucose, whose chemical formula is C6H12O6. One glucose molecule is converted into two ethanol molecules and two carbon dioxide molecules:
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- C6H12O6 → 2 C2H5OH + 2 CO2
C2H5OH is the chemical formula for ethanol.
Before fermentation takes place, one glucose molecule is broken down into two pyruvate molecules. This is known as glycolysis.
Read more about this topic: Fermentation (biochemistry)
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