Fermentation vs. Anaerobic Respiration

Main Difference

The main difference between Fermentation and Anaerobic Respiration is that the Fermentation is a Anaerobic enzymatic conversion of organic compounds and Anaerobic Respiration is a The enzymatic release of energy from inorganic and organic compounds (especially carbohydrates and fats) which uses compounds other than oxygen (e.g. nitrate, sulfate) as the terminal electron acceptor

• Fermentation

  Fermentation is a metabolic process that produces chemical changes in organic substrates through the action of enzymes. In biochemistry, it is narrowly defined as the extraction of energy from carbohydrates in the absence of respiration. In the context of food production, it may more broadly refer to any process in which the activity of microorganisms brings about a desirable change to a foodstuff or beverage. The science of fermentation is known as zymology.

  In microorganisms, fermentation is the primary means of producing adenosine triphosphate (ATP) by the degradation of organic nutrients anaerobically. Humans have used fermentation to produce foodstuffs and beverages since the Neolithic age. For example, fermentation is used for preservation in a process that produces lactic acid found in such sour foods as pickled cucumbers, kombucha, kimchi, and yogurt, as well as for producing alcoholic beverages such as wine and beer. Fermentation also occurs within the gastrointestinal tracts of all animals, including humans.

• Anaerobic Respiration

  Anaerobic respiration is respiration using electron acceptors other than molecular oxygen (O2). Although oxygen is not the final electron acceptor, the process still uses a respiratory electron transport chain.In aerobic organisms undergoing respiration, electrons are shuttled to an electron transport chain, and the final electron acceptor is Oxygen. Molecular Oxygen is a highly oxidizing agent and, therefore, is an excellent electron acceptor. In anaerobes, other less-oxidizing substances such as Nitrate (NO3−), Fumarate, Sulphate (SO42−), or Sulphur (S) are used. These terminal electron acceptors have smaller reduction potentials than O2, meaning that less energy is released per oxidized molecule. Therefore, anaerobic respiration is less efficient than aerobic.

• Fermentation (noun)

  Any of many anaerobic biochemical reactions in which an enzyme (or several enzymes produced by a microorganism) catalyses the conversion of one substance into another; especially the conversion (using yeast) of sugars to alcohol or acetic acid with the evolution of carbon dioxide

• Fermentation (noun)

  A state of agitation or excitement; a ferment.