Lactic Acid Fermentation - Chemical Process

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:

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:

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.