A catabolic process that makes a limited amount of ATP from glucose without an ETC and produces end products such as ethyl alcohol or lactic acid is known as what?

• A. Fermentation
• B. Glycolysis
• C. Krebs Cycle
• D. Oxidative Phosphorylation

Answer: (A)

Fermentation is an anaerobic way to obtain ATP from glucose, producing only a small amount of energy because it happens without an electron transport chain. It starts with glycolysis to break glucose into pyruvate, and then pyruvate is converted into end products like ethanol or lactic acid. This conversion regenerates NAD+ from NADH, allowing glycolysis to continue in the absence of oxygen. Because no oxidative phosphorylation occurs, the energy yield is limited (about 2 ATP per glucose). In contrast, the Krebs cycle and oxidative phosphorylation require an electron transport chain and oxygen and generate substantially more ATP, with different end products. So the described process best fits fermentation.