In alcoholic fermentation, what happens to NADH?

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Multiple Choice

In alcoholic fermentation, what happens to NADH?

In alcoholic fermentation, the cell needs to recycle NAD+ so glycolysis can keep running without oxygen. NADH donates its electrons to acetaldehyde, reducing it to ethanol and regenerating NAD+. This specific redox step—acetaldehyde plus NADH producing ethanol plus NAD+—is what restores the pool of NAD+ needed for glycolysis to continue. Without this NADH-to-NAD+ regeneration, glycolysis would stall. The other statements don’t capture this essential transfer of electrons to acetaldehyde; NADH is indeed used to form ethanol and NAD+, not left unchanged or converted to NADP+.

In alcoholic fermentation, the cell needs to recycle NAD+ so glycolysis can keep running without oxygen. NADH donates its electrons to acetaldehyde, reducing it to ethanol and regenerating NAD+. This specific redox step—acetaldehyde plus NADH producing ethanol plus NAD+—is what restores the pool of NAD+ needed for glycolysis to continue. Without this NADH-to-NAD+ regeneration, glycolysis would stall. The other statements don’t capture this essential transfer of electrons to acetaldehyde; NADH is indeed used to form ethanol and NAD+, not left unchanged or converted to NADP+.

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