Catabolic reactions under anaerobic conditions

Like the various forms of iron, NOM apparently serves as both bulk reductant and mediator of reduction as well as bulk reductant (recall section 2.2.2). NOM also can act as an electron acceptor for microbial respiration by iron reducing bacteria (26), thereby facilitating the catabolism of aromatic hydrocarbons under anaerobic conditions (103). In general, it appears that NOM can mediate electron transfer between a wide range of donors and acceptors in environmental systems (104,105). In this way, NOM probably facilitates many redox reactions that are favorable in a thermodynamic sense but do not occur by direct interaction between donor and acceptor due to unfavorable kinetics. 

Dark fermentation is a catabolism anaerobic bacteria convert sugars and proteins to carboxylic acids, hydrogen, carbon dioxide, and solvents. This biological chemical reaction is carried out under anaerobic condition in which the presence of oxygen is prohibited. 

In the overview of glycolysis we noted that the pyruvate produced must be used up in some way so that the pathway will continue to produce ATP. Similarly, the NADH produced by glycolysis in step 6 (see Figure 21.8) must be reoxidized at a later time, or glycolysis will grind to a halt as the available NAD+ is used up. If the cell is functioning under aerobic conditions, NADH will be reoxidized, and pyruvate will be completely oxidized by aerobic respiration. Under anaerobic conditions, however, different types of fermentation reactions accomplish these purposes. Fermentations are catabolic reactions that occur with no net oxidation. Pyruvate or an organic compound produced from pyruvate is reduced as NADH is oxidized. We will examine two types of fermentation pathways in detail lactate fermentation and alcohol fermentation. 

It has been established (Delwiche and Carson, 1953) that propionic acid bacteria are able to oxidize the intermediate products of the TCA cycle. Under anaerobic conditions the TCA cycle is also functional, and its role may not be limited to anabolic processes. In these conditions nitrate and fumarate can act as terminal electron acceptors in propionic acid bacteria. It is well known that the TCA cycle provides microorganisms with precursors for biosynthetic reactions, and plays an essential role in both the catabolic and anabolic metabolism. 

ANAEROBIC CARBOHYDRATE METABOLISM Yeasts growing in media containing high concentrations of fermentable carbohydrate invariably metabolize it fermentatively to produce ethanol and CO2. If air is present, and when the sugar concentration has been lowered, the ethanol is respired using the metabolic routes described above. Under the anaerobic conditions of a brewery fermentation the hexoses derived from wort fermentable carbohydrates are catabolized by the EMP pathway (Fig. 17.2) to pyruvic acid. The pyruvate produced is decarboxylated by the enzyme pyruvate decarboxylase, with the formation of acetaldehyde and CO2. The enzyme requires the cofactor thiamine pyrophosphate (TPP) for activity and the reaction is shown in Fig. 17.10. The acetaldehyde formed acts (in the absence of the respiratory chain) as an electron acceptor and is used to oxidize NADH with the formation of ethanol ... 

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