In the absence of oxygen (anaerobic conditions), yeast cells undergo a process called fermentation to produce ATP. Specifically, they perform alcoholic fermentation, which involves a series of chemical reactions known as glycolysis. During glycolysis, glucose is converted into two molecules of pyruvate. This process generates a small amount of ATP and nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide (NADH). The pyruvate is then converted into ethanol and carbon dioxide in a process known as ethanol fermentation. This fermentation process regenerates NAD+ from the NADH produced in glycolysis, allowing glycolysis to continue and produce additional ATP. Overall, through alcoholic fermentation, yeast can generate ATP in the absence of oxygen.
The yeast cell will produce ATP through a process called anaerobic glycolysis.
