Chemical Process
The process of lactic acid fermentation using glucose is summarized below. In homolactic fermentation, one molecule of glucose is converted to two molecules of lactic acid:
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- C6H12O6 → 2 CH3CHOHCOOH
In heterolactic fermentation, the reaction proceeds as follows, with one molecule of glucose converted to one molecule of lactic acid, one molecule of ethanol, and one molecule of carbon dioxide:
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- C6H12O6 → CH3CHOHCOOH + C2H5OH + CO2
Before lactic acid fermentation can occur, the molecule of glucose must be split into two molecules of pyruvate. This process is called glycolysis.
Read more about this topic: Lactic Acid Fermentation
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