Anaerobic means ‘without oxygen’ (O2). Anaerobic micro-organisms do not use oxygen to produce energy from sugars. Some anaerobic organisms are even damaged by oxygen. The sugars are contained in the food they consume. The aerobic reaction looks like this:
sugars --> carbon dioxide (CO2) + energy + by-product (such as an alcohol or hydrocarbon)
Anaerobic means ‘without oxygen’ (O2). Anaerobic micro-organisms do not use oxygen to produce energy from sugars. Some anaerobic organisms are even damaged by oxygen. The sugars are contained in the food they consume. The aerobic reaction looks like this:
sugars --> carbon dioxide (CO2) + energy + by-product (such as an alcohol or hydrocarbon)
Alcohol from yeast
A well-known example of an anaerobic micro-organism at work is the production of alcohol in beer and wine. Unicellular fungi in beer, called yeasts, convert glucose (sugar) into alcohol and carbon dioxide (CO2) without using oxygen.