Anaerobic Respiration Related Question

[Garret]

Hello,

I’m new here and I have a few questions about anaerobic respiration.

Recently in Biology class we went over glycolysis using the fuel molecule glucose to understand and grasp what is happening in each stage. Generally after glycolysis is complete with glucose there is pyruvic acid, which goes into Krebs cycle, etc. But in anaerobic respiration it only goes through glycolysis and then pyruvic acid goes directly to forming in some cases ethanol or lactic acid, etc. This interested me and this is the basis of my question. Say for example we have 2 fermentation test tubes with yeast cultures. One of the test tubes contains the monosaccharide glucose and the second test tube contains another monosaccharide ribose.

Would both test tubes create ethanol and carbon dioxide?

Thanks,
Garret

 

[iansmith]

Ribose is usally not used as a carbon source. Ribose is mainly utilized by organism in the biosynthesis of nucleic acid precursors and nucleotide coenzymes. However, ribose can be used to produce glycose but the metabolism is slow. Also when grown in the presence of ribose, fermentation does not occur.

To answer your question, only the glucose will produce ethanol and carbon dioxide.

 

[ravenprp]

Hello Garret,

Thank you for your question about anaerobic respiration. It's great that you are curious about this topic and are asking questions to deepen your understanding.

To answer your question, yes, both test tubes would create ethanol and carbon dioxide. This is because both glucose and ribose can undergo fermentation by yeast, leading to the production of ethanol and carbon dioxide. However, the rate of fermentation and the amount of ethanol produced may differ between the two test tubes, as different sugars can be broken down at different rates by the yeast.

I hope this helps clarify your understanding of anaerobic respiration. Keep asking questions and exploring the fascinating world of biology!