To convert Sugar into Alcohol, a process called Fermentation is used. Fermentation is a popular process to manufacture alcoholic drinks like beer and wine from sugar. It is one of the oldest methods – more than ten thousand years old– to produce alcoholic beverages. In this article, we explain the process of conversion of sugar into alcohol i.e. Fermentation, and its uses.
In Fermentation, sugars such as glucose, fructose and Sucrose are converted into Ethanol and Carbon dioxide. The process takes place in absence of air, i.e, it is an anaerobic breakdown of molecules. In presence of Oxygen, Glycolysis or breakdown of sugar does not take place and only Carbon dioxide and water are produced without Ethanol. This process in which no alcohol is produced is called cellular respiration.
This process of conversion of sugar into alcohol is known as Alcoholic Fermentation. It is the most used type of fermentation. It is carried out in the presence of yeasts and other bacteria and fungi. Pyruvate, which is produced by yeast via the EMP pathway and obtained by Zymomonas via the ED pathway, is necessary for the first stage of the alcoholic fermentation.
Glycolysis, the name for the process by which yeasts break down sugars to produce pyruvate molecules, is the first step of alcoholic fermentation. Two molecules of pyruvic acid are created during the glycolysis of glucose molecules. The two pyruvic acid molecules are subsequently split into ethanol and carbon dioxide.
Pyruvate can be converted to ethanol under anaerobic conditions. It first converts into the intermediate molecule called acetaldehyde, which further releases carbon dioxide, and then acetaldehyde is turned into ethanol. Alcoholic fermentation reduces the electron acceptor NAD + to generate NADH.
In this section, we present to you the conversion of sugar into alcohol with the help of chemical reactions
First, Sucrose is converted to Glucose with help of an enzyme called invertase as shown below
C12H22O11 + H2O + invertase → 2 C6H12O6
In the next step, glycolysis takes place. In this process, Glucose molecule is broken down into two pyruvate molecules.
C6H12O6 + 2 ADP + 2 Pi + 2 NAD+ → 2 CH3COCOO− (pyruvate) + 2 ATP + 2 NADH + 2 H2O + 2 H+
Then, in the next steps, pyruvate is converted to ethanol and CO2, as shown below.
CH3COCOO− + H+ → CH3CHO + CO2
CH3CHO + NADH + H+ → C2H5OH (Ethanol) + NAD+
Byproducts of ethanol fermentation – the process of conversion of sugar into alcohol, include alcohol, heat, carbon dioxide, water, methanol, fuels, and food for cattle. Also, as a by-product, oxygen-starved muscle cells produce lactic acid.
Fermentation – the process of conversion of sugar into alcohol is widely used for daily products. Some of the popular products are listed below
Ethanol is a domestically produced and renewable fuel. It is an increasing trend to mix ethanol into fuel. Also called Ethanol Blended petrol, it is increasingly being considered an alternative to pure petrol. The Government of India has also launched an initiative called Ethanol Blended Programme (EBP)
Ethanol blending takes place at various levels. For example, E10 means 10% Ethanol and 90% Petrol, and E15 means 15% Ethanol and 85% Petrol. It is an effective method to decrease dependency on oil imports.
So that’s it.
We hope that you might have liked this article regarding the process of conversion of sugar into alcohol. We hope that it might have improved your knowledge about the process of fermentation. We request you to share this article with your friends and people who would like to know about the process of conversion of sugar into alcohol.
Articles you may like
Waziristan, comprising of two erstwhile Agencies: North Waziristan and South Waziristan, is a hilly region…
In his 1954 booklet, The Philosophy of the Revolution, the Egyptian leader and political ideologue…
Globalization is as old as humanity and trade itself. People have been trading with each…
Few leaders in history have singlehandedly impacted the course of history with the help of…
Situated about 29 kilometres from the Indian Coast, Katchatheevu is a small uninhabited island in…
42nd Amendment of the Indian Constitution: Few Constitutional Amendments in India have been as significant,…