Question

Describe an example of fermentation that occurs in beneficial bacterial cells within animals and explain why it is important.

Answer 1

Fermentation is an anaerobic process in which energy can be released from glucose even though oxygen is not available. Fermentation occurs in yeast cells, and a form of fermentation takes place in bacteria and in the muscle cells of animals. In these situations, your working muscles generate ATP anaerobically (i.e., without oxygen) using a process called fermentation. Fermentation is beneficial in that it can generate ATP quickly for working muscle cells when oxygen is scarce. Fermentation helps break down nutrients in food, making them easier to digest than their unfermented counterparts. For example, lactose — the natural sugar in milk — is broken down during fermentation into simpler sugars — glucose and galactose ( 20 ).