Aerobic Respiration vs Fermentation – Difference and Comparison

What is Aerobic Respiration?

By breaking down respiratory material, aerobic respiration uses oxygen to create energy in the form of ATP molecules. It occurs most frequently in complex creatures such as animals, people, plants, mammals, and so forth. Cellular respiration is a type of it.

Carbon dioxide and water are the major end-products. It takes place in the mitochondrial matrix of the cell. It is critical because it ensures that organisms have adequate energy to carry out their key tasks and processes.

Different phases of aerobic respiration exist. The first stage is glycolysis, which takes place in the cytosol of the cell. Glucose is split into two ATP and two NADH molecules during glycolysis. Acetyl coenzyme A is then produced.

The Krebs cycle (also known as the citric acid cycle) takes place next. Large amounts of ATP molecules are produced during the last stage of aerobic respiration by the transfer of electrons from FADH and NADH. It produces around 36 ATP molecules in the end. With the help of ATP synthase, ATP molecules are made from ADP and inorganic phosphate.

What is Fermentation?

Fermentation is an anaerobic process that involves breaking down glucose to produce ATP molecules in the absence of oxygen. It may be found in a variety of microorganisms, including eukaryotes and prokaryotes. Yeast and bacteria are the most prevalent hosts. It may also happen in people, but only when oxygen is scarce and there is a significant demand for energy, such as during strenuous workouts.

When there is a dearth of oxygen, fermentation occurs in muscle cells in humans. If these cells contract repeatedly, they can deplete their oxygen supply. They manufacture ATP molecules by glycolysis in the absence of oxygen. These muscle cells produce pyruvic acid from glucose, which is then converted to pyruvic acid by a muscle cell enzyme.

Through the process of glycolysis, glucose is metabolized (i.e. broken down into) pyruvic acid in fermentation. Acetaldehyde is formed when pyruvic acid is transformed. After that, it’s turned into ethyl alcohol. Fermentation produces an average of 2 ATP molecules per reaction.

Difference Between Aerobic Respiration and Fermentation

1. Aerobic respiration is most seen in multicellular and complex organisms, such as animals and plants. Fermentation, on the other hand, is mostly carried out by microorganisms such as yeast and bacteria.
2. Aerobic respiration occurs when the respiratory material is broken down into simpler components with the aid of oxygen. In the breakdown of its respiratory ingredient, fermentation does not need oxygen.
3. The end products of aerobic respiration are carbon dioxide and water, whereas the end products of fermentation are at least one organic material and may or may not include inorganic chemicals. The most typical end products are ethyl alcohol and carbon dioxide.
4. In aerobic respiration, the respiratory material is entirely oxidized, but in fermentation, it is only partially broken.
5. Water is created during aerobic respiration, however, it is not formed during fermentation.
6. Aerobic respiration can go on indefinitely, however, fermentation can’t since it can lead to a reduction in energy availability and the buildup of toxic chemicals.
7. The energy generated by aerobic respiration is 686 Kcal per gram mole of glucose, but the energy produced by fermentation is roughly 39 to 59 Kcal.
8. During aerobic respiration, 36 ATP molecules are produced. Fermentation, on the other hand, produces just two ATP molecules.
9. Krebs’ cycle, glycolysis, and oxidative phosphorylation are the three phases of aerobic respiration. Glycolysis and an incomplete breakdown of pyruvic acid are the only two processes in fermentation.

Comparison Between Aerobic Respiration and Fermentation

References

1. https://academic.oup.com/femsle/article-abstract/71/1-2/123/556548
2. https://www.annualreviews.org/doi/abs/10.1146/annurev-food-022811-101255