Question

Is oxidative phosphorylation better than fermentation?

Answer 1

Fermentation:

1. During fermentation only 2 net ATP is produced, i.e. during glycolysis.
2. These fermentation pathways consist of glycolysis with some extra reactions tacked on at the end.
3. In yeast, the extra reactions make alcohol, while in your muscles, they make lactic acid.
4. Fermentation is an enzyme-catalyzed, metabolic process whereby organisms convert starch or sugar to alcohol or an acid anaerobically releasing energy.
5. It is an anaerobic pathway in which glucose is broken down.

Oxidative phosphorylation:

1. Yes, oxidative phosphorylation yields more ATP than fermentation.
2. In this process, there is ATP synthesis which is coupled to the movement of electrons through the mitochondrial electron transport chain and the associated consumption of oxygen.
3. During oxidative phosphorylation, one glucose molecule can yield as many as 34 ATP molecules in the electron transport chain.
4. It is the metabolic pathway in which cells use enzymes to oxidize nutrients, thereby releasing chemical energy in order to produce adenosine triphosphate (ATP).
5. Almost all aerobic organisms carry out oxidative phosphorylation.
6. This pathway is so pervasive because it releases more energy than alternative fermentation processes such as anaerobic glycolysis.