Fermentation in Yeast

What is Fermentation in Yeast?

Fermentation is anaerobic respiration in yeast: glucose is broken down without using oxygen to produce ethanol and carbon dioxide, releasing a relatively small amount of energy. Yeast is a single-celled fungus, and because one of its products is a gas, the volume of carbon dioxide released in a fixed time can be measured and used as an indicator of the rate of respiration. Yeast does not produce lactic acid; lactic acid is the product of anaerobic respiration in human muscle.

This definition is part of the Respiration chapter in Cambridge O Level Biology.

Concepts related to Fermentation in Yeast

• ethanol
• carbon dioxide
• Rate of Respiration