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42640_Ward's World+MGH Fermentation

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3 Fermentation: Test Your Understanding Teacher's Guide + ward ' s science Is fermentation a chemical or biological process? Explain your answer. Louis Pasteur showed that fermentation is a biological process because it is a physiological counterpart of oxidation and permits organisms to live and grow in the absence of air (anaerobically). What are the similarities and differences between fermentation and putrefaction? Both fermentation and putrefaction involve microbes breaking down organic material in the absence of oxygen. Fermentation is the breaking down of carbohydrates, which often yields products with pleasant smells and tastes. On the other hand, putrefaction involves the breaking down of proteins, which produces foul-smelling substances. Critical Thinking: Explain why fermentation might have evolved in primitive organisms before cellular respiration. Sample answer: Fermentation most likely evolved before cellular respiration in primitive organisms because there was very little oxygen in the environment when life first arose on Earth. Fermentation would have allowed organisms to survive in the absence of oxygen. As the atmosphere changed, oxygen became more abundant, and cellular respiration evolved. 3

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