why/how do obligate anaerobes make byproducts?

Obligate anaerobes are organisms that cannot survive in the presence of oxygen and instead rely on anaerobic respiration to produce energy. During anaerobic respiration, these organisms use alternative electron acceptors instead of molecular oxygen to carry out the final step of cellular respiration.

One of the byproducts produced by obligate anaerobes is often lactic acid. To understand why they produce lactic acid, we need to understand the process of anaerobic respiration.

During anaerobic respiration, organisms such as bacteria or yeast convert glucose (a sugar molecule) into energy in the absence of oxygen. Initially, glucose undergoes a process called glycolysis in the cytoplasm, which results in the production of pyruvate molecules.

In the absence of oxygen, the pyruvate molecules are converted into another molecule, such as lactic acid, through a process called fermentation. Fermentation helps regenerate the coenzyme (NAD+) necessary for glycolysis to continue in the absence of oxygen. Lactic acid is one of the end products of this fermentation process.

By producing lactic acid, obligate anaerobes can continue to extract some energy from glucose when oxygen is not available. However, it's important to note that lactic acid is a waste product for these organisms and can be toxic in high concentrations.

In summary, obligate anaerobes produce byproducts like lactic acid during anaerobic respiration to regenerate the coenzyme necessary for glycolysis, allowing them to derive energy from glucose when oxygen is not present.